The majority of the founding fathers of punk have passed on touring or are doing so with replacement members after embodying the “live fast and die young” lifestyle.
Fortunately, Los Angeles’ finest punk band, X, is still playing in top form with all of its original members.
On Friday, singer Exene Cervenka, bassist and singer John Doe, guitarist Billy Zoom and drummer D.J. Bonebrake returned to McMenamin’s Crystal Ballroom in Portland for a celebration of X’s 40th-anniversary tour.
Check out our interview with Exene Cervenka here
Although X is touted as a punk band, it evolved to be so much more than that. With rockabilly and folk influences fueled by Doe and Cervenka’s haunting vocals, X made punk music more than a three-chord race to fill 120 seconds. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The show began with rockabilly-infused takes on X classics such as “Beyond And Back” and “In This House That I Call Home.” Dressed in a black leather jacket, Doe played a hollow body bass guitar and roamed the stage, urging the crowd to engage with the music by waving his arms and smiling at the audience.
Guitarist Billy Zoom has returned to X’s lineup after taking time off to receive chemotherapy treatments for his bladder cancer. He played seated on a stool with his left leg propped up to support his guitar. Although he no longer stands in his signature power stance, Zoom maintains his stage presence by flashing wide-cheeked grins at unsuspecting audience members, making his blistering guitar solos appear effortless.
Craig Packham is touring with X as an extra instrumentalist, alternating between and drums and guitar. This allowed Zoom to play saxophone on the deep cut “Come Back To Me” and alternate solos with D.J. Bonebrake as he played four-mallet vibraphones on “I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts.”

Following a quiet moment between songs, a pounding bass beat shook the floorboards of the Crystal Ballroom. Downstairs at Lola’s Room, it was ‘80s Video Dance Attack night. Doe looked confused.
“Are they playing disco downstairs? Those motherfuckers,” Doe said with a grin. “We can be louder than that.”

He followed through with his promise immediately. The band’s early punk material made a few appearances throughout the performance, including “We’re Desperate,” but this was when X perfectly shifted into material from its debut album, Los Angeles.
The songs hit with a force that few bands are capable of ever achieving and sent the audience into a minor frenzy. The mosh pit reached the outer layers of the Crystal as the band played “Your Phone’s Off The Hook (But You’re Not),” “Johnny Hit And Run Paulene” and the Doors’ “Soul Kitchen.” The crowd was comprised of a surprising mixture of ages: many looked as if they have been attending X shows since the band formed.
A girl in the front row who was likely younger than ten caught Doe’s eye. He spotted her and smiled before whispering in Cervenka’s ear. She turned and smiled at the young girl, thrilled to have such a young fan enjoying their music. Midway through the show, Doe looked at her and said, “There’s a young lady up here who is having the best Friday night ever.”
She wasn’t the only one having a great Friday night. One fan with a sweat-lined black baseball hat spent the majority of the night urging the crowd to come forward into the mosh pit. During the encore break, he yelled “John Doe is a mother-fucking legend,” with emphatic, inebriated pointing. “He changed everything,” he said.  
Watching X perform provided the rare opportunity to see an original wave punk band put on a clinic of how a rock show is supposed to sound. The band’s music appears to have transcended the generation gap, which is the ultimate achievement for any band. X is a must-see show.
 
 

Gallery • 6 Photos

Billy Zoom has rejoined X after fighting bladder cancer. He played most of the night sitting on a stool, but still displayed his signature smiling and winks to the crowd. (Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)