Social Distortion Returns to The Stone Pony
Shot and Written by Michael Campanile
September 12, 2026
Shot and Written by Michael Campanile
September 12, 2026
It was a beautiful late summer night at the Jersey Shore when Social Distortion made their return to The Stone Pony Summer Stage. A sold out crowd awaited the punk rock icons who last played the legendary Asbury Park venue in 2019. Mike Ness and company are in the midst of their world tour in support of their latest album, Born to Kill, and were accompanied by The Chats and Descendents…not a bad way to close out the summer.
The Chats kicked off the night with their “shed rock” style. The Australian punk rockers were new to me, but I now understand why friends were eager to see them. They ripped through fourteen songs which pulled heavily from the albums High Risk Behavior and Get Fucked. Two songs that stood out for me were “6L GTR” and “Struck By Lightning”, and I’d love to see them play a more intimate venue like Wonder Bar or inside The Pony some day.
Descendents took the stage next and were flat out awesome. Milo and the band had the crowd hooked from the jump as they kicked off their performance with “Everything Sux”. Circle pits formed, crowd surfers made their way towards the stage, and the band fed off the crowd’s energy. They covered thirty plus years of music over the course of twenty-four songs, including fan favorites like “Hope”, “Suburban Home”, and “I’m the One”. It was a helluva set.
As dusk turned to night, it was finally time for Social Distortion. The new album was in heavy rotation for me ahead of this show, and it was great to hear songs like “Born to Kill”, “Don’t Keep Me Hanging On”, and “No Way Out” live for the first time. I’ve always appreciated Ness’ raw and gritty vocal sound, and once again he did not disappoint. The band’s play was also on point, especially for hits like “Ring of Fire”, “Ball and Chain”, “Reach for the Sky” and “Story of My Life”. It was great to see them again, and hopefully they don’t wait seven years to come back.
The summer of 2026 has been an interesting one to say the least. For a few hours, these three talented punk bands gave us all a good distraction from the chaos. Reality of course kicked back in shortly after the last notes of “Don’t Drag Me Down” had been played, but I walked home with a smile on my face knowing this night was just what I needed as we head into fall.
The Born to Kill World Tour is definitely worth the price of admission if you can still find a ticket. The lineup remains the same through their Stateside run, and then Social Distortion heads to Mexico and South America in November. All three bands will also be playing Riot Fest in Chicago later this month. If you haven’t listened to Born to Kill yet, be sure to give it a play wherever you stream your music…and don’t forget to check out The Chats and Descendents too!
Coverage from September 5, 2026 at The Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury Park, NJ. All photos are © Michael Campanile Photography and cannot be used without permission.