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Live at The Observatory Santa Ana
January 7, 2025 Review by Shane Pase
There’s something special about seeing X perform in Southern California. At The Observatory in Santa Ana, the band played a show on what might be one of their final tours, supporting their new album, “Smoke and Fiction.”
Unlike most bands that launched in the late ‘70s punk scene, X has kept their original lineup intact with John Doe, Exene Cervenka, Billy Zoom, and DJ Bonebrake.
When X started in Los Angeles in 1977, the punk scene was just getting going. While other bands were trying to be as loud and fast as possible, X was doing something different.
They had these weird harmonies between Doe and Cervenka, Zoom’s rockabilly-style guitar playing, and lyrics that were more like poetry than typical punk rock. Most bands from that era have either broken up, replaced members, or become nostalgia acts, but X has kept going with the same four people.
The show kicked off with “Your Phone’s Off the Hook, But You’re Not,” and it was clear these veterans haven’t lost their touch. John Doe and Exene Cervenka’s vocals still have that unique sound that set them apart back when they were playing the Whisky a Go Go. It’s the same mix of harmony and discord that caught Ray Manzarek’s attention when he produced their first album, “Los Angeles.”
Having seen X many times over the decades, I was struck by how this show captured the raw energy of their early years. Doe and Cervenka were particularly fired up, dancing and feeding off each other’s energy in a way that transported longtime fans back to the band’s early days at the Whisky and Starwood. It was a performance level I had not seen from them in a while, and it was awesome!
Billy Zoom played the whole show with his signature smile, making complex guitar work look easy, though from a stool the entire night.
He’s been through some tough health battles over the years, but you wouldn’t know it watching him play.
DJ Bonebrake’s drumming was solid as ever, especially during classics like “White Girl” and “The Hungry Wolf.”
Together, they’re still one of the tightest rhythm sections in punk rock.
The band played a mix of old and new songs. The stuff from Smoke and Fiction, like “Water & Wine” and the title track, held up well against their classic material. X has always written about real life, and the new songs continue that tradition – they’re just writing about different things now. When they played “Los Angeles” and “White Girl,” the crowd went nuts, but the new material got almost as strong a reaction.
“True Love” was a standout moment that showed why X was different from other punk bands from the start. They never stuck to just one style, mixing in country, rockabilly, and folk elements that made them hard to pin down. Their cover of The Doors’ “Soul Kitchen” wrapped up the main set with the same energy they had at the beginning.
During the first encore, something cool happened. Doe and Cervenka came out alone and played “Burning House of Love” acoustic with an old school can microphone. Without the full band backing them, you could really hear how well their voices still work together. It was a nice change of pace that showed another side of their songwriting.
The band closed out the night with “Come Back to Me” and “I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts.” That last song still feels relevant today. In fact, it might make more sense now than when they first wrote it.
Over the two-hour set, X played songs that spanned their whole career. The energy in the room never dropped, and the band seemed to be having as much fun as the crowd. Even after all these years, they’re not just going through the motions. Each song still means something, and they play like they’ve got something to prove.
If this really is X’s last album and final round of tours, they’re not limping to the finish line. They’re still writing good songs, still playing with energy, and still putting on great shows. In an age where so much music feels manufactured and fake, X is a reminder of what rock and roll is supposed to be about – four people in a room playing music they believe in.
Looking around during the show, you could see both old fans who’ve been there since the beginning and younger ones who weren’t even born when X started.
That mix of generations is exactly what punk rock needs – the wisdom and history of the old school combined with the raw energy and fresh perspective of youth. That’s probably the best testament to what X has accomplished – they’ve never become a nostalgia act, never chased trends, and never lost sight of what made them special in the first place.
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by Shane Pase Phtography
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SID 250105 | TRACI TURNER | EDITOR
