Circle Gets the Jerk

The last time I saw Circle Jerks live was in the very early '90s at a now-defunct hole-in-the-wall club in Trenton, New Jersey, during their first "comeback" tour. The show was great, but even then, people were referring to them as the crusty old farts of punk rock. So what...

By Michael Alan Goldberg

December 7, 2006

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The last time I saw Circle Jerks live was in the very early '90s at a now-defunct hole-in-the-wall club in Trenton, New Jersey, during their first "comeback" tour. The show was great, but even then, people were referring to them as the crusty old farts of punk rock. So what to make of the legendary California quartet some 15 years later? Dreadlocked frontman Keith Morris — who formed Circle Jerks in 1979 after leaving Black Flag, the even more legendary band he started with Greg Ginn a few years earlier — has not aged particularly well. In recent years, he's had a ton of health problems, including adult-onset diabetes. And according to some current concert reviews, he and the rest of the band (except for animated guitarist Greg Hetson, also a member of Bad Religion) have little spring left in their steps. Still, the group's one- and two-minute punk hand grenades have aged pretty well — 1980's Group Sex and 1985's Wonderful are still killer listens. So here's hoping the Jerks can summon enough energy to do those tunes justice.

Circle Jerks perform Saturday, December 9, at Respectable Street, 518 Clematis St., West Palm Beach. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. with openers Lower Class Brats, the Ruins, and Know the Score. Tickets cost $18 to $20. Call 800-594-TIXX, or visit www.slammie.com.

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