M'Lou Elkins 
CONCERT REVIEW + PHOTOS:
X
10/22/24 – Granada Theater – Dallas, TX
©M’Lou Elkins/Skip2Photography.com
Fans of X packed the historic Granada Theater in Dallas, TX on Tuesday, October 22nd. Billed as “The End is Near” tour, the legendary band is on the road for one final trek in support of their latest and final release, Smoke & Fiction, which just dropped in August via Fat Possum Records.
Just after 9:30 a flurry of feet could be seen under the curtain that draped the stage as the band hurriedly got into position. The crowd’s loud chatter slowed when the lights dimmed and the entire venue buzzed with anticipation for what was to come.
The curtain gave way and revealed Exene Cervenka facing drummer DJ Bonebrake with her back to the crowd and showing off her Klaatu Barada Nikto jacket. She was flanked on each side by bassist John Doe and guitarist Billy Zoom.
The quartet of Los Angeles-based punk rockers formed in 1977 and their rockabilly-tinged punk sound set them apart from their musical peers. With nine studio albums under their belt, spanning from 1980’s Los Angeles through to 2024’s Smoke & Fiction, they are widely regarded as one of the most influential bands of their time. Rolling Stone has even ranked their first two albums as among the top 500 greatest albums of all time.
From the start, X was energetic and sounded amazing. The dueling vocals of Doe and Cervenka were on point and they’ve definitely still got a special musical chemistry between them.
Zoom was diagnosed with aggressive pancreatic cancer in 2015 but has remained cancer-free following a successful regimen of chemo. As the oldest of the bunch at 76, the guitarist is still rocking, though from a seated position, and the permanent smile plastered across his face showed his enthusiasm for what he does is still very much intact, even after over four decades with X.
Clocking in at around 90 minutes, X’s electrifying set was nothing short of a full-on rock n’ roll assault of raw punk featuring a sprinkling of new and old songs drawing from almost all of their albums.
With the last chords still ringing in my ears, I wondered – Is this really the end? Maybe so. If that turns out to be the case, I’m glad I was present for the finale.
Check out our gallery of X concert photos below:
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