August 2nd.

Our day always starts the same way: work begins at 10 a.m. Since the fair doesn't start until the 7th, our workdays are quite relaxed, although the bosses never tell us when we'll finish, and unexpected new tasks often pop up at the last minute. That's why I didn't know until the very end if I'd make it. I was also worried about the potential lack of tickets, since there were none for the concert in the city after Indianapolis.

Work went well, and we were able to head out at 6 p.m. After taking a bus to downtown, we had no idea where we were or where to go; all we had was the intersection of two streets to look for. After 15 minutes of searching, we accidentally stumbled upon one of the streets we needed: New Jersey Street. We met a guy and a girl there with a rock 'n' roll look, decided to follow them, and as it turned out, we didn't regret it—they were going to the concert.

The concert was held in a building that looked like a museum or a theater; it didn't feel like a club at all. There were about 50 people outside, many with hairstyles like Mike Ness's =) The atmosphere was very friendly. Right in front of the doors were turnstiles dividing people into 3 lines, and several security guards checking pockets. When we approached them, we immediately asked if there were tickets and where to buy them. The answer was, 'Yes, right here.' I was happy.

On the day of the concert, tickets were sold for 30 dollars. After buying 2 tickets and getting inside the building, we moved on. Monumental staircases, ceilings—very unusual. Going up to the second floor, we saw people selling merch. Besides Social Distortion, 2 other bands were announced: The Strangers and Crivet; I hadn't heard of them before. Looking at the merch, I noticed one Social Distortion t-shirt, and damn, the fat Americans only had men's shirts starting from medium size; I needed a small. Hoodies cost 50 bucks, t-shirts 25, a sticker pack 10—in short, too expensive =( I didn't buy any merch.

The hall was a large room with a sound booth in the center, alcohol sold in the back (too bad not for us), and a large stage. In general, a perfect venue for concerts of this kind.

At exactly 7 (I was pleased with the punctuality), The Strangers started their set. They didn't stand out to me, and I don't want to spend time on them. After a 10-minute break, Crivet took the stage, and this band turned out to be... all-female. And they played amazingly—fast punk-hardcore, tight, well-played, effective. I was impressed; I didn't think girls could play like that.

The hall was waiting for Social Distortion... A couple more security guards were pulled up to the stage. The tech crew cleared the first two bands' gear, brought out guitars, and started checking microphones... The pause dragged on a bit; classic 50s rock 'n' roll played in the background, then the lights began to change, and suddenly details that weren't noticeable before started to appear: license plates hung around the stage, car headlights, a projection of an old American car on the back wall with dates (1979-2009), moving toys. And then Social Distortion walked onto the stage. I don't remember the name of the first song, then 'Another State of Mind', 'Mommy's Little Monster', 'Sick Boy', 'Highway 101', 'Don't Drag Me Down', then a couple of new ones I hadn't heard before, 'Reach for the Sky'... In the front rows, people were listening and clapping, shaking their hands and heads; a bit further back, there was a mosh pit. We were standing in the front rows on the side, 3 meters from the bassist. Mike Ness was in the middle but often came to the corners; at the beginning, they jumped around quite a bit. In general, I realized that their set was built so that the first half had faster songs, and the end had calmer ones. Then they put down their guitars and left. The hall was screaming and singing, and they came back out to play 5 more songs. The guitarist constantly changed guitars, and Ness alternated between 2 Gibsons. They played a new track second to last, quite fast and rock 'n' roll, and finished the evening with 'Story of My Life'... Thanks to them for an hour and a half of punk rock.

We left the Murat Center at 11 p.m. and started looking for a taxi. On the back side of the building, we found their bus, a dozen fans waiting for them, security, and a Cadillac painted with flames =) We got into a taxi and left.

A wonderful evening. The week was very intense, and everything felt like a dream...

There are 2 bands left that I want to see at any cost.

Photos in the photo album.