Social Distortion [ tickets ] frontman/guitarist Mike Ness knows exactly what his fans want to hear.

The Social-D faithful--generally decked out in slicked-back hair, Saddle Oxfords, shirts with flipped-up collars, and more of the band's merch than the table selling it--toasted Ness as he announced that the group was returning to the studio on Nov. 5. There, Social Distortion will begin work on the follow-up to 1996's "White Light, White Heat, White Trash."

"I know, I can't f-----g believe it," he said of the wait between albums. "We're all just a bunch of slackers. What I can say."

The Tuesday night (10/28) show at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, AZ, was the third sold-out Social Distortion performance in Tempe since May. In his gravely voice, Ness praised the town for its long-standing relationship with the band.

"Arizona was … one of the only places that would have Social Distortion, so I thank you for that," Ness said.

Ticketholders screamed and applauded each time the guitar-toting Ness jumped in the air, knees bent, his greased hair flopping. Fans raised their glasses and slapped high-fives after Ness' searing guitar solos. He led a sing-along to "When She Begins," and his sped-up cover of the Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb" whipped the audience into a frenzy, igniting crowd surfing and moshing.

Ness, wearing a flannel shirt, jeans and a tank top, arrived on stage with a modest statement--"What's happenin'. We had to get out of California because everything was on fire"--before launching into "Mommy's Little Monster."

He said little more about the wildfires in his home state, instead pontificating about war before songs like "1945" and the new tune "I Wasn't Born to Follow."

"Twenty-five years ago, we weren't watching TV to find out what was happening," he said. "We weren't listening to the radio to find out what was happening. We had to go underground to find the truth--or we could follow the dumb-asses."

Besides "I Wasn't Born to Follow," Ness also said the tunes "Footprints on my Ceiling" and "Angel's Wings" (which he dedicated to orphans) were new.

He also made fun of the crowd of "tough guys," coolly sneaking a smoke in a corner or acting standoffish toward their girls. He dedicated "Footprints on my Ceiling" to them.

"Folks, I'm going to sing a love song. This is for all the tough guys. You gotta admit, even tough guys fall in love--if you're smart."

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