X

Still, nothing he's done is as insane as Henry Rollins' car wreckin' hostin' job.

*looks around impatiently for Dan Perry*

I love X, one of the best L.A. bands ever.

I, too, have seen X many times and enjoyed every minute of their shows. It's good to see that they've gotten back together, though i have to confess that i've not seen 'em since 1987 and haven't heard any of their new material (assuming they have some.) Personally, i think they peaked with _Los Angeles_/_Wild Gift_, but continued to put out great albums up to and including _See How We Are_, though there was a lot of change over that time period.

-Matt, who still thinks that Billy Zoom is one of the coolest guitarists on the planet.

He'll be disappointed to hear that.

Otherwise John Doe with Ad-Rock in Roadside Prophets is best non-Alex Cox Alex Cox movie.

Wild Gift is the only album I kept, btw.

both of their albums are again available stateside.

My unconditional love for X is well documented. I've probably seem them at least a dozen times over the years.

OK, I don't really hate them, they have a couple of classic songs. It's more their attitude and their place in the Hilburnesque LA Rock Pantheon. They're my #1 "I Just Don't Get It" band.

A lot of their songs really bounce and roll along quite nicely. Great hooks for a band that fell outside the circle of commerical success.

Have to say, I agree with Arthur on that.....I hate that shit too.

Still, Billy Zoom is one damn cool motherfucker.

;^p

Ugh...I sure didn't remember Ain't Love Grand being quite this "1985," if you know what I mean. Weird that "Love Shack" is a completely different song than the one The B-52's recorded 4 years later, but still sounds like a B-52's song.

It's recorded two years later than Ain't Love Grand, but, wow, "4th of July" is such a great song (it graced a "Sopranos" episode a couple of years ago too).

The demo version of 4th Of July from the 2cd Beyond and Back comp is even better. A little less slick and eighties-afied.

Ha! I was listening to "Los Angeles" the other day and was struck by how much it reminded me of the B-52s. Not sure if that's a good thing...

Still, I enjoy X in small doses, but have never loved them. I'd like to see what they are like in concert because I've heard nothing but good things. Maybe another reunion tour will happen.

When the fuck is ATP gonna invite them to do Los Angeles in its entirety, as I've been dreaming about for some reason

the B-52s were a big obnoxious convertible jalopy tootin down a dirty back road, and x were some kind of erratic used datsun swerving dangerously, going slow in the fast lane and fast in the slow

Good. Sounds like a show I saw from them a few years back

I saw them in 2010 and thought they were one of the youngest sounding reunion acts I’d seen.

FWIW, opening acts announced.

If I ever do one of those rock and roll cruises, this one might be it. X, Flamin' Groovies, Bash and Pop, Steve Wynn, ...

https://www.undergroundgaragecruise.com/

The Baseball Project too? That's Peter Buck and Mike Mills (with Scott McCaughey, Steve Wynn and Linda Pitmon). With Tommy Stinson, X et al...very, very tempting. 90% sold out too.

I've never done a cruise, but I was recently on a boat (like a really big tour boat) out in Alaska for the first time ever - I would suggest bringing and taking some Dramamine. Those who didn't clearly didn't enjoy the boat ride I was on.

Also noticed Mark Lindsay on the bill. Is this the Paul Revere and the Raiders Lindsay? (people you thought were dead ...)

I think so! (No surprise if Steve Van Zandt did indeed curate this.) Paul Revere of the Raiders died ten years ago so that may be why people think Mark's dead.

90% sold out too

30-plus bands! i assume the musicians themselves take up 90% of the rooms on the boat.

XP Mark Lindsay has a show on the Underground Garage SiriusXM channel.

X was amazing at Town Hall last night, even better than when I saw them in July 2022 with the Psychedelic Furs, and they were flat out awesome at that show. It probably helps that they were the headlining act this time around and played a longer set.

The title track of See How We Are was a wonderful surprise. I didn't think they'd play anything from that album since Billy wasn't on it, but an acoustic duet between John and Exene was a nice way of including it, a beautiful arrangement for the song. John prefaced it by saying "this goes all to all the folkies who played here," and of course one of Bob Dylan's greatest shows was at Town Hall on April 12, 1963, and I'm sure he was aware of that. Earlier in the main set, he said this might've been the nicest venue they've ever played, but that probably has more to do with the very dignified look of Town Hall, which outside of the auditorium could pass for a government building from colonial times.

Afterwards Billy went into the orchestra aisle and met a long line of fans, making a point to shake everyone's hands. A real class act, even when joking around like pretending to sniff someone's marker, he carries himself like a soft-spoken gentleman with a very relaxed and polite demeanor.

The show ended a little after 11 p.m. We never met the rest of the band before and since this might've been the only practical chance to do so, we walked a few blocks to Joe's Pizza on Broadway (which is open until 3 a.m.) then came back around midnight when the crowd had finally thinned out and the crew was loading out. It may have been late, but when you're in Times Square, it really doesn't feel that way at all. More than any other neighborhood, it earns the city's nickname "the city that never sleeps."

Eventually Exene stepped out, looking for their ride, and she seemed genuinely surprised to see a modest group of fans still waiting. She was very sweet to everyone, and eventually John came out, rolling his luggage and looking ready to go. He also looked surprised and (jokingly) told everyone "you don't have something better to do?" before taking the time to pose for photos, sign stuff and say hi to the fans. He was extremely nice, and after a while Exene did tell everyone, "okay, he really has to leave!" Before he left, Exene said goodbye to him and gave him a really long hug. Bear in mind, the tour picks up in two weeks anyway, which kind of made the moment all the more heartwarming. Not that there was any doubt, but it just showed how close they still are after all these years.

Later Billy came out and again was very sweet to everyone and then DJ came out last and he was extremely nice too. It finally occurred to me to ask someone about Ain't Love Grand! because a fan on social media asked if they would consider remixing it. Turns out they did have that idea a long time ago, but the multitracks couldn't be located. So I asked DJ if the band considered re-recording it since they couldn't remix it, and it sounded like he already suggested that himself but the others weren't up for it. I don't get the impression that was going to change either, but at least he tried.

It's not really the end as they will continue to do shows on the West Coast where they generally reside, and they've already booked a bunch of Christmas shows all through December (from Salem, OR to Tacoma, WA then Petaluma, Fresno, Berkeley, Sacramento, Bakersfield and Santa Ana in CA).

Yeah, when I saw them over the summer, Exene said "we'll be back!" It sounded like a sort of soft farewell, maybe no more long tours but definitely not the end-end. Kind of remarkable that these four are even standing up there together. Or, in Billy case's, close enough.

I asked DJ if the band considered re-recording it since they couldn't remix it, and it sounded like he already suggested that himself but the others weren't up for it. I don't get the impression that was going to change either, but at least he tried.

thank u for yr service <3

i liked the town hall show quite a bit, too, and yeah "see how we are" was a highlight, as was the version of "come back to me" that immediately followed, with dj on vibes and billy adding a little saxophone. i also liked that they played three or four songs from the new album, which is not the kind of thing bands doing farewell tours 45 years down the road are generally prone to do. i don't imagine smoke & fiction is an album i'll come back to very often, but the songs fit right in with the rest of the set and i appreciate that making new music and poetry and art still matters so much to them after all these years.

it's obvious, and beautiful, how much john and exene still love singing with each other. i love their forever bond.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Buva9ags5ic

thank you, I was wondering about this specific "history" track (having bought the OG 12" to my great disappointment back in the day)

also lol at John drinking all the beer

Hah, they're touring nationwide with Los Lobos! I can't complain, I'm glad they're coming back to NYC, and to the same venue as their "farewell" show too. (Per John Doe, possibly the nicest place they've played, and he even dedicated a song to "all the folkies" who played there - also certain he knew that Dylan played one of his greatest shows there in April 1963.)

As announced on Tuesday, the tour kicks off in July in Denver and runs into late November as of now, with more dates to be added later.

The schedule:

July 19 Denver CO Paramount Theatre
July 20 Salt Lake City UT Red Butte Garden

August 3 Santa Ana CA OC FAIR/Pacific Amphitheatre

September 19 Toronto ON Massey Hall
September 20 Detroit MI Fisher Theatre
September 21 Huber Heights OH Rose Music Center at The Heights
September 24 Baltimore MD The Lyric Baltimore
September 25 New York NY The Town Hall September 28 Philadelphia PA Miller Theater

October 7 Nashville TN Ryman Auditorium
October 9 Atlanta GA Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
October 10 Memphis TN Minglewood Hall
October 11 St. Louis MO The Factory
October 12 Kansas City MO Uptown Theater
October 15 Milwaukee WI The Pabst Theater
October 16 Chicago IL The Auditorium
October 17 Indianapolis IN Clowes Memorial Hall

November 3 Portland OR Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
November 4 Seattle WA The Moore Theatre
November 8 Oakland CA Paramount Theatre
November 13 San Diego CA Balboa Theatre
November 14 Riverside CA Fox Performing Arts Center
November 19 Austin TX ACL Live at the Moody Theatre
November 20 Dallas TX Music Hall at Fair Park
November 22 Houston TX Smart Financial Centre

https://rockcellarmagazine.com/x-and-los-lobos-tour-dates-2025-los-angeles/

How can we miss you if you don't etc.?

Auditorium is a great place to see a show here, but pretty big! Los Lobos seems to play Chicago several times a year, I wonder what the ticket situation will be?

yeah the Schnitzer in Portland is way bigger than the PDX venue I last saw them in, maybe 7-8 years ago?

FWIW, I went for the pre-sale in NYC this morning and there was no "waiting line," you were sent right through and even though there were clearly people fighting over the same prime tickets, there were and still are plenty of seats for sale. The balcony seats are pretty affordable, so I don't doubt they'll see most of their tickets, but it'll take some time to sell out.

FYI, pre-sale code for today was X1977

https://www.ticketmaster.com/search?q=Los+Lobos

pre-sale for today is just for ones listed here, not all of them listed above

But some may be for sale on etix

Fat Possum has a big X sale, vinyl for every album is $15, CD's $5.

Actually it's a warehouse sale, so prices apply to all artists

Bummer:

Due to circumstances beyond our control X & Los Lobos will be unable to embark on the 99 Years of Rock’n’Roll Tour. Both bands and our crews worked hard and were looking forward to this tour. We love & value our fans and are extremely disappointed at this turn of events. Look to point of purchase for refunds. We hope to see you in the near future.

Huh. I wonder if ticket sales were weak? Los Lobos tours non stop (I want to say several Chicago shows in the past couple of years alone), and X joined this tour right after an ostensible farewell tour. Also, they were playing pretty big venues.

I saw tons of ads for this tour. Like 10x the amount seen for typical aging alternative bands.

Nooooo…..

I think ticket sales weren’t so good. Too many stops were mostly unsold. I’m really disappointed, I was ready to go.

coincidentally was listening to Los Angeles this morning, remains one of the great American rock albums

Wild Gift too

Saw this double bill at the OC Fair a few months ago, it was sick

Los Lobos rules. Did they do the stoner rock La Bamba?

general rule of thumb, the more advertising you see - the worse a tour is selling / sales have crawled to a halt and agents/promoters are getting sweaty

unforeseen circumstances (ie. no real reason for a cancellation) also generally means = it was unforeseen that we would sell so few tickets

That's too bad. How much were they asking for tix?

I can't remember, but they must have been high enough that despite loving both bands I didn't bother looking for tickets.

also yes Los Lobos do rule. saw them supporting Neil Young & Crazy Horse a decade ago and it was a very unexpectedly fun time

Just checked, and tickets in Portland were $58.32-$155.00, and it was at one of the big concert halls (2,776 capacity). Both bands played the Aladdin (620 capacity) in the past year or two.

Yeah the Chicago show was at Auditorium Theatre, a big concert hall that seats nearly 4,000. I'd love to see X in a smaller club, but maybe the economics aren't worth touring.

The Bay Area show was at the Paramount … also big

I've seen Los Lobos three times now, amazing band

X sounded crazy good btw. If you squinted your eyes you would never guess DJ Bonebrake was pushing 70. Dude was *slamming*

I saw X last year at an early (like, 5pm!) show down the street and they were as awesome as ever.

I guess some people thought there were health issues because Billy Zoom posted this message:

PSA: I'm fine, We're all fine. The tour got cancelled, but not by us. It's business stuff....way above my paygrade, somewhere in the realm of managers, agents, and promoters, and I'm just talent, but I'm fine. Thanks for being concerned, but we're all fine, honest...a little curmudgeonly, but fine. We're still playing Reno and Riverside. BZ

He has been playing sitting down in recent months. Gotta be weak sales.

he was sitting down when I saw the 40th anniversary tour in 2017

yeah I mean c'mon

I think it was an overpriced tour in big theatres

unforeseen circumstances (ie. no real reason for a cancellation)

Exene is being tapped to lead the FBI after Patel’s poor showing.