{"id":497225,"date":"2026-10-15T19:28:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T19:28:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/497225\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T19:28:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T19:28:12","slug":"review-sex-pistols-concert-leaves-one-asking-johnny-rotten-who","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/497225\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Sex Pistols concert leaves one asking ‘Johnny Rotten who?’"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s only one question left to be answered after witnessing the Sex Pistols<\/a> perform with lead singer Frank Carter at The Warfield on Wednesday night (Oct. 14):<\/p>\n

Johnny who?<\/p>\n

I say that a bit in jest, throwing back some edginess at a punk rock icon who built a career on that behavioral trait. Still, with due respect to Johnny Rotten (aka, John Lydon) \u2014 who arguably ranks as one of the top three most important figures in punk rock history \u2014 it\u2019s hard to imagine the Sex Pistols being even remotely as good with him on the mic in 2026 as they are with Carter.<\/p>\n

This new 42-year-old singer was fiercely engaged with both the crowd and the music, incredibly energetic and purposeful on the stage and sounded mighty strong on vocals throughout the night \u2014 all things that we haven\u2019t seen from Lydon in his work with his post-punk band Public Image Ltd (PiL) in years.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not saying this San Francisco show was like seeing the Sex Pistols<\/a> on their first American tour in 1978 \u2014 in part, because I wasn\u2019t there. But I can tell you, with firsthand experience, that this show was way better than the self-aware and overall sad Filthy Lucre reunion tour that hit Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View back in 1996.<\/p>\n

The band \u2014 featuring original members Paul Cook on drums, Glen Matlock on bass and the great Steve Jones on guitar \u2014 are on the road in celebration of their 50th anniversary. This North American trek was originally slated for 2025, but was pushed back a year to allow Jones time to heal from a broken wrist.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Sex Pistols perform at The Warfield in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

To mark the occasion, the Sex Pistols<\/a> are performing one of the most important albums of all time \u2014 \u201cNever Mind the Bollocks, Here\u2019s the Sex Pistols\u201d \u2014 the genre-defining punk rock manifesto that reshaped pop culture and inspired millions of musicians. They\u2019d perform that landmark debut mostly in its entirety \u2014 with \u201cSubmission,\u201d for some reason, being the only track left off the 15-song setlist. The four musicians \u2014 who are officially going by the moniker of Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter \u2014 also took some liberties in terms of strictly following the track listing, moving some songs down or up in the order of play, as well as added a few bonus numbers.<\/p>\n

Of course, it\u2019s hardly a big woo-hoo when the Pistols stick mainly to the first album, given that it\u2019s the only full-length studio album in the catalog.<\/p>\n

Opening with \u201cHolidays in the Sun\u201d \u2014 the number that also kickstarts the album du jour \u2014 and then moving right into the Side 2 offerings \u201cSeventeen\u201d and \u201cNew York,\u201d the Sex Pistols sounded strong and focused right out of the gate, doing honor to the source material while still adding a bit of 2026 vibe and energy to the mix. Almost of all of the latter came courtesy of the rambunctious new singer, who originally made his name fronting the English hardcore act Gallows and his own Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes.<\/p>\n

Carter was clearly thrilled to be back in San Francisco, taking time to recall for the audience a trip he took with his parents to the City by the Bay back when he was 14. He remembered driving down Market Street and seeing The Warfield and pleading \u2014 unsuccessfully \u2014 with his parents to allow him to go to a concert. And now he wasn\u2019t just watching a concert at the 104-year-old venue \u2014 he was playing one.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis means the world to me \u2014 being at The Warfield,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n

Carter was extremely interactive with the crowd \u2014 especially with the bustling mosh pit that pulsed and surged in front of the band. He\u2019d actually step down from the stage and sing \u201cPretty Vacant\u201d from the pit, then later crowd surf in various shapes and forms \u2014 including upside down with his feet sticking right up in the air \u2014 to the delight of his fellow mosh men and women.<\/p>\n

\"LeadLead vocalist Frank Carter performs with the Sex Pistols at The Warfield in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Later in the evening, he\u2019d even ask for those men to momentarily step aside so that the women could rule the pit.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the next song, this will be a ladies-only mosh pit,\u201d Carter said prior to the band playing what he dubbed \u201cthe best Sex Pistols song ever written\u201d \u2014 \u201cNo Feelings.\u201d \u201cI promise you will never see a happier mosh pit. In this environment, this is the bare minimum that you should expect from every band you go see from now on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although Carter was the star of the show, and drew most of the attention from the crowd with his energy, antics and charisma, he made it clear that the original Pistols were the true legends on the stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou ready to bounce?\u201d Carter asked prior to launching into the group\u2019s cover of \u201c(I\u2019m Not Your) Steppin\u2019 Stone.\u201d \u201cThis one is dedicated to these (Sex Pistols) guys. They literally invented the pogo. Do not let them down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones was superb on the axe throughout the night, further supporting the notion that he deserves to be ranked among the best punk guitarists of all time. Plus, it was great to hear the reunited rhythm section of Cook and Matlock \u2014 who was jettisoned from the band in early \u201977 for Sid Vicious, who was less musically sophisticated but a far better fit for the Sex Pistols\u2019 image. Vicious, of course, died about a year after the Pistols originally split in 1978. (One more bass note: Jones was likely the best bassist of the bunch and it\u2019s him you\u2019ll hear playing the instrument on the majority of \u201cNever Mind the Bollocks\u201d album.)<\/p>\n

\"GuitaristGuitarist Steve Jones performs with the Sex Pistols at The Warfield in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

The group was joined on the stage by Arrow de Wilde, whose L.A. band Starcrawler provided an excellent opening set at The Warfield, and together they\u2019d pull off a powerful version of \u201cSilly Things\u201d with de Wilde and Carter sharing vocal duties. The Starcrawler front woman sounded so good in this role that it left me thinking she could step at the microphone for the next Sex Pistols tour if Carter happens to be busy.<\/p>\n

The second half of the night was just filled with Pistols classics, as the group powered through the likes of \u201cNo Fun,\u201d \u201cNo Feelings,\u201d E.M.I.\u201d and \u201cGod Save the Queen.\u201d They\u2019d close up shop in appropriately legendary fashion, leaving these fans with the ultimate punk anthem \u201cAnarchy in the U.K.\u201d before heading off to their next stop on this 50th anniversary tour.<\/p>\n

\"LeadLead vocalist Frank Carter performs with the Sex Pistols at The Warfield in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Setlist:<\/p>\n

1. \u201cHolidays in the Sun\u201d
2. \u201cSeventeen\u201d
3. \u201cNew York\u201d
4. \u201cPretty Vacant\u201d
5. \u201cBodies\u201d
6. \u201c(I\u2019m Not Your) Steppin\u2019 Stone\u201d
7. \u201cSilly Thing\u201d
8. \u201cLiar\u201d
9. \u201cGod Save the Queen\u201d
10. \u201cNo Fun\u201d
11. \u201cNo Feelings\u201d
12. \u201cProblems\u201d
13. \u201cE.M.I.\u201d
14. \u201cMy Way\u201d
15. \u201cAnarchy in the U.K.\u201d<\/p>\n

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