X
Fri., 8pm, Black stage
Two years ago, X celebrated the 30th anniversary of its debut album, Los Angeles, by touring the West Coast and selected U.S. cities with a package that featured the screening of 1986 documentary X: The Unheard Music, followed by a performance of the LP. Since the Southern Californians didn’t make it to Texas, consider this appearance the makeup.
“Playing Los Angeles gave us perspective,” reveals bassist/singer John Doe. “The first couple of times we did it, it gave me pause. All those songs in one little batch and it takes 28 minutes to play them all. When you play those songs in that order, it makes you take a step back.
“We try not to talk in between the songs. It makes it strange because some of those songs you rely on for a show-ending song, but it’s not like we have any hit songs, so we don’t have to worry about that.”
Doe laughs. The band’s perspective on playing music older than some of its audience poses no dilemma for the seminal roots-punk act.
“People can call bands that have played for a long time nostalgia or not,” shrugs Doe. “I don’t feel like it, because when we play, it’s so damn loud and it’s still good and it’s all original members. It doesn’t seem like nostalgia to me.”
This article appears in November 2 • 2012.