Hal wrote:Nice write-up Matt!
I saw X a few years ago...my first time seeing them. They totally exceeded my expectations! They sounded as good, if not better than I've ever heard them. It was at a great new-ish venue too (Gateway City Arts, Holyoke, MA). Excellent room, sold out crowd...outstanding performance. Hope to see them again.
First and foremost, thanks Hal!
My first time seeing them was in 2005 at the TLA in Philly and for a while, they seemed to play there yearly and then in the mid-'10s, I'd see them once a year at another club (Underground Arts), once in the tent at Riot Fest East, once at World Cafe Live, etc.. I've seen them here in New York playing Under the Big Black Sun in full and in LA at the Whisky-A-Go-Go. Of course, given the pandemic and everything, I'm jonesing for them to play here! It's hard to believe that it almost became routine to see them, great as they always are. It makes me more appreciative, etc.
Oh and aside from World Cafe Live and City Winery, the clubs I've seen them play at don't have especially great sound systems, yet they always manage to sound great. That always helps, too, but once I saw one of Exene's other bands The Original Sinners at a now-defunct bar in Philly called the Tritone. It sounded like mud, but they were absolutely great, so context is everything, I guess.