ANARCHY IN A RED STATE: SEX PISTOLS AT THE LONGHORN BALLROOM

Last night, Frani and I went and saw The Sex Pistols with Frank Carter at the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas.  The last time The Pistols were there, (circa 1978) the show featured a disastrous ending that finished with John Lydon asking the crowd if they “ever felt like they’ve been cheated”. This was well documented in Julian Temple’s masterful documentary, The Filth & The Fury. 

In a touch of serendipity, Merle Haggard's son, Ben, is performing one night after The Pistols, just as his old man did in 1978, at the same venue.

September 11, 2026 brought a return of sorts. We showed up and watched original bassist and key songwriter Glen Matlock, guitarist and Lonely Boy author, Steve Jones, drummer Paul Cook, and “supplemental” lead vocalist Frank Carter take the stage and literally rip it up for a good hour plus. 

Jones sounded great, that Les Paul Bollocks tone in full lion’s roar,  Cook drums like he’s 25 years old, tight and smart, (percussion is a physical excursion at any age), and Glen Matlock knows and owns the material inside and out; as well he should, he wrote the shit. 

And Frank Carter policed the fucking stage. He's been there, and led the troops from beginning to end, the boys could not have picked a better lead vocalist for this incarnation of the band.  

Carter is an exceptional showman, a true punk rock athlete, singing “Pretty Vacant” from the pit without losing a note, showing respect to the ORIGINAL CORE Sex Pistols on his stage at every given opportunity, (even honoring them by distancing himself as he did so), shutting everything down and directing traffic when someone had either fallen ill or gotten injured down below, creating the first all ladies mosh pit, and gratefully thanking Dallas multiple times for waiting for The Pistols to return. (Their original appearance was canceled a year ago due to Jonesy breaking his wrist).

Johnny Rotten might be walking around the country right now, callously calling what’s touring as the Sex Pistols some sort of “karaoke“,  but he can eat a lit fart. How can you take seriously someone who once roared against “the fascist regime” of the royal family, that is now flying the MAGA flag?

Regardless, last night was legitimate punk rock;  If anybody out there has a chance to see this group, I recommend taking it in.  They're in Austin tonight and Houston tomorrow, folks. 

Last night's show resonated with us in a big way.

It’s nostalgia, but it’s new. 

It’s emotional, but they’ll make you laugh.  (Both vibes present in their cover of Sinatra’s “My Way”.  Which was mounds better than Sid’s).

It’s still anger, but it now carries with it some sense of hope.