In 2024 I was gifted tickets to the No Values punk music festival. Under my life principle of “YES PLEASE!” I went. My friend Eydie came along, and she knew the culture and pulled me into all the best shows.

Two years ago, I met Social Distortion. I was distracted when they hatched in the 80s and then were dominating the 90s. They got my attention two years ago, and last week I went to see them in concert again.

A different punk friend—a girl drummer—who had been a fan from the start went with me. I wasn’t sure I was cool enough to go be allowed to go with her. I forgot that punk is so open hearted.

We had planned this for months, and then word began to trickle back from the tour that the front man was having health issues. Denver was cancelled. Then Reno.

My sweet husband had no interest in attending this concert, but he became my front-line reporter from reddit and other internet rumor sources.

WHAT was going on?

Front man Mike Ness has gone through tonsil cancer, and even before that he had been a heroin addict. The shows were getting cancelled because of a reported chest infection. It’s tough out there.

But the show did go on, and I spent the extra money for onsite parking because we are grownups.

The show was great and my only complaint is that I didn’t get close enough to the stage.

I made friends with another concert-goer—he brought his 17-year-old son.

“Do you think you are the youngest person here?” I asked.
His dad pointed to a tiny kid riding his dad’s shoulders. “I used to do that!”

And still, I asked because of the many grey beards. Mike Ness, fighting off his chest infection was 64. And I could hear his voice was not as strong as it was two years ago. But the energy was enormous, the music relentless and the stage was explosive. They held the audience in their hands.

Of course, I snapped photos and videos with my phone, and showed them to my 17-year-old at home.

She shook her head as if to clear it and said, ‘I forgot this music was old.”

Then she saw my face. “I mean, it has a lot of energy and seems young. But these pictures show different.”

She is not wrong. Me and Mike have the cancer scars. The next day I took Reach for the Sky and did my own keyboard cover.

And I remember again Ulysses by Tennyson:

Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are,
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.