On Friday, September 19, 2025, the Circle Jerks played a show at the Hollywood Palladium in honor of Keith Morris’ birthday and he invited some friends.
The Circle Jerks, Ceremony, Negative Approach, and Rocket From The Crypt- a nice final touch for connoisseurs. It’s the kind of lineup that makes you shake your head and laugh at how good we have it when a night like this comes together.
The story of the night was celebrating the birth of Keith Morris with all his friends and his band, the Circle Jerks. Somehow, at 70 years old, there is no noticeable decline. In fact, the eye test reveals that he’s thriving. It would be illogical to suggest he doesn’t suffer from some unseen ailment that comes with wear and tear on the human body. But… if his shoulder hurt, his hemorrhoid was flaring up, his arthritic pinkie knuckle burned, or he had to piss every 20 minutes at the age of 70- there was no hint of any of that. As far as I could see, his feet were planted firmly, his diaphragm engaged, and there was no pee-pee dance. But there was most definitely joy.
related: Janky Smooth Interviews Keith Morris on Lawsuits, Politics and Punk Rock
With his signature “I’m Johnny Cash,” Keith has always started Circle Jerks gigs with a Nazi punks not welcome here message. But somehow, they all show up to varying degrees anyway. Like today’s newly old people asking, When was it that the bands they loved turned “woke,” all of a sudden? I guess they never REALLY listened.
But at least the days of people getting stabbed in the face over these kinds of pit politics are over.
He and the rest of the band have been touring tirelessly and squirreling their nuts away since I first saw Circle Jerks + Joey C at Pappy and Harriet’s in 2022- and those chops were apparent on Friday.
But the influence of Keith Morris is bigger than the Circle Jerks. It’s Black Flag, it’s OFF!, it’s Free LSD and his overall influence on our culture.
related: Time Is An Illusion- The Circle Jerks at Pappy and Harriet’s
The Openers- A Punk Family Reunion
Before the Jerks hit the stage, the openers set the room on fire representing different eras and branches of punk rock.
Negative Approach was first, and if you’ve never seen John Brannon perform, imagine a man who’s been fueled by pure disdain since the Reagan era and still spits it out like it’s 1982. It’s a beautiful thing. Their set was raw, fast, and violent in the best way.
Rocket From The Crypt, with their horn section and San Diego swag, they gave music fans a rare treat by being on this lineup. They’re one of those bands that never quite got the mainstream credit they had access to due to an early disavowing of stages, in general, but among punks, John Reis and various projects are still respected- and the Palladium floor was packed tight for this rarity.
Ceremony provided the main support for the evening, representing a different generation. Booking them felt like a statement from Keith that these were the future torch bearers sent to carry the message from their ancient alien predecessors.
They’ve been fearless about breaking out of the hardcore box the last few years, even with the rage their post punk material inspires in the most hardcore Ceremony fans. As a live band… they will always tap into that primal, teeth-baring energy that makes them a perfect fit on a bill like this. They have found an equilibrium between their hardcore and post punk material in their live sets. Ceremony hid Donita Sparks as an Easter egg in the setlist and the front woman from one of the best bands of the 90’s played one of my favorite songs with the band- “American Society” by L7
related: Ceremony Get Their Flowers At The Hollywood Palladium
The Crowd – Old Punks, Young Punks, Same Punks
The Palladium was full, and it was a mix of everyone. You had the lifers who saw the Jerks in the ’80s when shows ended in blood and broken glass. You had kids who weren’t even alive when Group Sex came out. You had people in patched-up leather, people in fresh band tees, and a surprising amount of salt and pepper still brave enough to jump in the pit.
And while the pit wasn’t the warzone it used to be, it was still alive- sweaty, chaotic, but more communal. Instead of blood and gang violence, it was bodies colliding with smiles on their faces. Kids were getting tossed over shoulders, older punks were laughing as they got shoved sideways, and everyone was singing along at the top of their lungs. When “Wild in the Streets” hit, everyone sang, a thousands of voices echoing across Hollywood.
The Setlist – Hits, Anthems, and Irony
The Circle Jerks delivered the goods. They ripped through “Deny Everything,” “Wild in the Streets,” “Beverly Hills,” “When the Shit Hits the Fan,” and of course, “Live Fast Die Young.” That last one hit especially hard—ironic, hilarious, and triumphant when screamed by a man who just turned 70. Keith leaned into it, and the crowd roared back as if the song had been written yesterday.
There were no lulls, no self-indulgent stretches. Just one short, sharp blast after another, the way these songs were meant to be delivered. The band didn’t feel like a legacy act trotting out the hits-they felt alive, urgent, and hungry.
Keith Morris sounds better live now than when I first saw him perform almost 30 years ago. He’s singing with a type of power I don’t think I’ve heard from him before- one of the most powerful and unique vocals in the history of punk rock.
Greg Hetson doesn’t get as much air as he used to, but holy fuck can he play that Gibson SG. Those punk hall-of-fame signature riffs he churns out of some angry assembly line in his mind still strike with diabolical precision and he still makes those mean faces on the rare occasion someone in the band fucks up, or maybe it’s tendonitis. I always read too much into shit. What I’m trying to say is, he is an all time great guitarist in punk rock.
Zander Schloss has been holding down bass duties in the Circle Jerks on and off for decades, and he’s one of those musicians you almost take for granted until you really start watching him. He’s the secret glue. His playing is never flashy, never showboating, but he fills every crack in the wall of sound that Hetson and Morris build. Zander’s tone has this throaty punch to it- round, deep, and absolutely locked to the drums-that gives the songs that bounce and swagger. He’s not just a bassist in the punk sense, where you follow the guitar and keep time. He’s melodic in a way that adds color to these otherwise blunt-force songs. Watching him Friday night, it was obvious he hasn’t lost a step. He moved with ease, dropped in little fills where they belonged, and carried himself with the calm confidence of someone who’s been doing it longer than half the people in the room have been alive- and STILL loves doing it.
Then there’s Joey Castillo on drums- one of the most powerful hired guns in punk and rock, period. His resume is insane (Danzig, Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal), and he brings that same heavy precision to the Circle Jerks. With him behind the kit, the Circle Jerks sound tougher, leaner, and sharper than they have in years.
Keith Morris at 70 – The Eye Test
Here’s the thing about seeing Keith Morris at 70: it makes you rethink what’s possible. You might start stretching or thinking maybe you could get back in the pit? Punk rock was never supposed to age this well. It was supposed to be a young person’s sport, a burst of fury before life got in the way. And yet, there was Morris- still sharp, still hilarious, still pissed off at all the right things.
The voice was the most shocking part. Not just intact, but stronger than it used to be. Cleaner projection, more control, and still carrying that ragged edge that makes it unmistakably his. He’s not phoning it in and he seems like he still has something to prove.
And that’s maybe the most punk thing of all.
related: OFF! Transform The Echo From A Peaceful Indie Venue To A House Of Raw Aggression
Why It Mattered
By the end of the night, it was obvious this wasn’t just a show. It wasn’t even just a birthday. It was a reminder of why the Circle Jerks still matter, and why Keith Morris has become something like punk’s reluctant, elder statesman. Although he seems much less reluctant in that role than he used to be. He’s living proof that the fire doesn’t have to go out, even when the candles on the cake start to look like a bonfire.
For those of us in the room, it felt like more than nostalgia. It felt like permission to keep going, to keep screaming, to keep showing up-even if our knees ache or our voices crack. Punk wasn’t supposed to last this long. But it did. And Keith Morris is out here showing us how it’s done.
So yeah- on September 19, 2025, at the Hollywood Palladium, the Circle Jerks threw a party for their singer’s 70th birthday. And instead of looking back, it felt like they were reminding us all that there’s still more to come.
Words: Danny Baraz
Photos: Taylor Wong
