Ahhh… It’s another beautiful holiday season in Southern California. Stores playing joyful Christmas music; peaceful walks along un-crowded beaches; getting bundled up in layers if the temperature dips below 60 degrees; and the best local holiday tradition of all – the legendary rock band X making their annual December run of live shows!
Locally, X will perform December 18th at The Observatory in Santa Ana, and a tour finale December 19th in Solana Beach (San Diego) at the Belly Up.
The band recently celebrated the 40th anniversary (plus one year due to COVID delay) of their groundbreaking debut album, “Los Angeles,” with a raucous hometown concert at L.A.’s Greek Theater. It was truly a rewarding experience watching X deliver such a great-sounding, energetic show, and to soak up all the genuine love from loyal adoring fans. It was a special evening to remember.
X Live | PHOTO by Greg Vitalich
With all the nostalgia talk let’s not forget X surprised fans with the sudden release of a new album in May of 2020. “Alphabetland” was their first studio album in 35 years, which lifted fans’ spirits during the dog days of the lockdown.
X is a ground-breaking influential band with a large SoCal cult-like following. With guitarist Billy Zoom incorporating rockabilly, blues, and country styles, and singer Exene Cervenka and bassist John Doe delivering unique mesmerizing harmonies, X created their own brand of punk music with an odd cross-genre appeal. Punk rockers predictably connected with X, but so did metal kids. X also appealed to more mainstream audiences. As contemporary X concert attendees can attest, the iconic band also has multigenerational appeal. Many concertgoers are under 30 years old and loudly sing along to lyrics written well before they were born.
Bridging genres and generations, X is quite the special phenomenon. They are a band people either love deeply or have never even heard of! If you love X, make plans to see them this December! If you have never heard of X, well now is your chance! Skip the Nutcracker and go see the punk legends X this December. You’ll be giving yourself an amazing musical holiday treat.
