Social Distortion hasn’t put out a studio record in fifteen years. Born to Kill exists because Mike Ness didn’t dissolve — diagnosed with tonsil cancer in 2023, recording was shelved, and the whole project could have ended quietly. It didn’t. The album dropped May 8 on Epitaph, the band is back on a 23-date North American run, and dates are going fast: Asbury Park, Toronto, Detroit, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Los Angeles are already sold out. The Austin date — Friday, August 28 at Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park — is the one to act on.
About Social Distortion
Born to Kill is Social Distortion’s eighth studio album and the longest gap between records in their career — the previous one, Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes, came out in 2011. Co-produced by Ness and Dave Sardy, the 11-track record draws on punk and rock lineage throughout, referencing Lou Reed, Iggy and the Stooges, and Bowie by name. Benmont Tench of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Lucinda Williams both appear as guests — a pairing that tells you Ness wasn’t making a narrow record. There’s a cover of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” in the sequencing, too.
On album cut “Partners in Crime,” Ness put the theme plainly: “It’s about finding your voice, especially if you weren’t allowed or if it didn’t matter. And finding comfort in others who share the same sentiment, angst and rage. Strength in unity.” That’s been the Social Distortion thesis from the start, and it holds.
The Austin bill is stacked. The Descendents and The Chats are both on the ticket — two bands that cover different ends of the punk spectrum, from California hardcore institution to Brisbane garage punk. If you’re the type to skip the openers, this is not the show to do it on.
Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park
Moody Amphitheater sits inside the redeveloped Waterloo Park at 1401 Trinity St — a 5,000-capacity outdoor venue that’s become one of Austin‘s better amphitheater rooms. Open air, downtown-adjacent, good sight lines. For a band returning on the strength of their first new record in fifteen years, the scale is right.
Tickets & Pricing
Doors at 6:00 PM, show at 7:00 PM on Friday, August 28, 2026. Tickets available via Ticketmaster. With multiple dates on this run already sold, don’t sit on this one.