Punk rock fans united on a Friday (September 25th) evening for a Sex Pistols concert at the Fillmore in Philadelphia. The legendary English punk band are currently on tour with all but one of the classic lineup members. Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and Paul Cook are joined by singer Frank Carter, who is taking over for singer John Lydon. Despite Lydon’s absence, the Sex Pistols put on a great, high-energy show to an enthusiastic audience.

The Venue
The Fillmore in Philadelphia is a decently sized concert venue. It consists of mainly two rooms: a lounge area with a bar and then the stage room. As people started coming in, there were hundreds of people of all ages coming to see the Sex Pistols. Some were dressed up in the two-piece suits while others were wearing band shirts of all different kinds of bands: The Rolling Stones, UFO, The Ramones and The Damned.

The Music
Prior to the Pistols coming out, the opening act for the night was a band called the Bad Nerves. Taking the stage at around 8:30 pm, the band played a raucous half hour set. For an opening act, their set was quite strong.

A little after 9:30 pm, the Pistols took to the stage. The audience roared for the band as an orchestral version of “God Save The Queen” played over the speakers. Frank Carter, taking the microphone, screamed out “Hello Philadelphia!” as the band ripped right into “Holidays In The Sun.”

For the next hour or so, the Sex Pistols played a total of 14 songs. The setlist consisted of…

– All but one of the songs from Never Mind The Bollocks (“Submission” being the one not played)

– three covers tunes (“Steppin’ Stone,” “No Fun” and “My Way.”)

Frank Carter
Throughout the one-hour set, Frank Carter dominated the stage. In singing the songs, Carter has a similar singing style to that of John Lydon. With each song, Carter would move his body and start acting out parts of the song. By the end of the show, it became clear as to why Carter got the job: he’s a charismatic personality.

During the show, Carter took the time to interact with the audience. After the second song, he hopped off the stage and told the audience to form the circle.

“I want to see the biggest circle pit that this fucking beautiful ballroom can hold. Are you with me, Philadelphia?” asked Carter.

This led to the formation of a circle pit during “Pretty Vacant,” with Carter getting into the circle himself while singing the song. After the song, Carter spoke again to the audience. Now that they’ve seen a sample of the energy, Carter wanted it to continue.

“Now I know the average age is a little bit older.” Carter said. “I know you don’t get universal health care. But fuck that shit: this is the Sex Pistols. This is the last time you’re going to see them.”

With that, the audience understood the assignment: it was going to be a night of high energy.

Incidents
During this night of high energy, there were a few incidents not planned during the band’s set. After “God Save The Queen,” a woman was holding a sign reading:

“My husband says ‘Fuck off’”

Catching Carter’s attention, he walked over to the side of the stage, asking this woman her husband’s name. Upon finding out the husband’s name was Leo, Carter led the audience in by yelling “FUCK OFF, LEO!”

For “No Feelings,” there was a “ladies only” mosh pit formed at the request of Carter and the band. About halfway through the song, Carter noticed someone holding their hand up in the crowd. Carter had the band stop playing and listened to the man. What seemed like a medical emergency turned out to something less serious: the man simply lost his phone. The audience immediately booed this while the band went back to continuing the song.

The Rest of the Band
While Carter was the man leading the performance, the rest of the band could not be ignored. Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and Paul Cook were all in fine form. With these men now in their 70s, they weren’t as energetic as Carter. Even then, the guys could still play the hell out of their instruments. During “No Fun,” Carter introduced each member of the band. During that time, the three guys got their time to shine. At the end of the show, they immediately all went up to the front of the stage and shook hands. Steve Jones, the last member onstage, waved goodbye to audience, as they erupted into applause and cheers.

Conclusion
Overall, the Sex Pistols put on an impressive show. While John Lydon is not in the band, Frank Carter was an absolute force and a worthy replacement for Lydon. Jones, Matlock and Cook were also in fine form and they seem to be having fun playing these songs again. If you can, try and catch these guys in concert.

Setlist
Punk rock fans united on a Friday evening for a Sex Pistols concert at the Fillmore in Philadelphia. The legendary English punk band are currently on tour with all but one of the classic lineup members. Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and Paul Cook are joined by singer Frank Carter, who is taking over for singer John Lydon. Despite Lydon’s absence, the Sex Pistols put on a great, high-energy show to an enthusiastic audience.

The Venue
The Fillmore in Philadelphia is a decently sized concert venue. It consists of mainly two rooms: a lounge area with a bar and then the stage room. As people started coming in, there were hundreds of people of all ages coming to see the Sex Pistols. Some were dressed up in the two-piece suits while others were wearing band shirts of all different kinds of bands: The Rolling Stones, UFO, The Ramones and The Damned.

The Music
Prior to the Pistols coming out, the opening act for the night was a band called the Bad Nerves. Taking the stage at around 8:30 pm, the band played a raucous half hour set. For an opening act, their set was quite strong.

A little after 9:30 pm, the Pistols took to the stage. The audience roared for the band as an orchestral version of “God Save The Queen” played over the speakers. Frank Carter, taking the microphone, screamed out “Hello Philadelphia!” as the band ripped right into “Holidays In The Sun.”

For the next hour or so, the Sex Pistols played a total of 14 songs. The setlist consisted of…

– All but one of the songs from Never Mind The Bollocks (“Submission” being the one not played)

– three covers tunes (“Steppin’ Stone,” “No Fun” and “My Way.”)

Frank Carter
Throughout the one-hour set, Frank Carter dominated the stage. In singing the songs, Carter has a similar singing style to that of John Lydon. With each song, Carter would move his body and start acting out parts of the song. By the end of the show, it became clear as to why Carter got the job: he’s a charismatic personality.

During the show, Carter took the time to interact with the audience. After the second song, he hopped off the stage and told the audience to form the circle.

“I want to see the biggest circle pit that this fucking beautiful ballroom can hold. Are you with me, Philadelphia?” asked Carter.

This led to the formation of a circle pit during “Pretty Vacant,” with Carter getting into the circle himself while singing the song. After the song, Carter spoke again to the audience. Now that they’ve seen a sample of the energy, Carter wanted it to continue.

“Now I know the average age is a little bit older.” Carter said. “I know you don’t get universal health care. But fuck that shit: this is the Sex Pistols. This is the last time you’re going to see them.”

With that, the audience understood the assignment: it was going to be a night of high energy.

Incidents
During this night of high energy, there were a few incidents not planned during the band’s set. After “God Save The Queen,” a woman was holding a sign reading:

“My husband says ‘Fuck off’”

Catching Carter’s attention, he walked over to the side of the stage, asking this woman her husband’s name. Upon finding out the husband’s name was Leo, Carter led the audience in by yelling “FUCK OFF, LEO!”

For “No Feelings,” there was a “ladies only” mosh pit formed at the request of Carter and the band. About halfway through the song, Carter noticed someone holding their hand up in the crowd. Carter had the band stop playing and listened to the man. What seemed like a medical emergency turned out to something less serious: the man simply lost his phone. The audience immediately booed this while the band went back to continuing the song.

The Rest of the Band
While Carter was the man leading the performance, the rest of the band could not be ignored. Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and Paul Cook were all in fine form. With these men now in their 70s, they weren’t as energetic as Carter. Even then, the guys could still play the hell out of their instruments. During “No Fun,” Carter introduced each member of the band. During that time, the three guys got their time to shine. At the end of the show, they immediately all went up to the front of the stage and shook hands. Steve Jones, the last member onstage, waved goodbye to audience, as they erupted into applause and cheers.

Conclusion
Overall, the Sex Pistols put on an impressive show. While John Lydon is not in the band, Frank Carter was an absolute force and a worthy replacement for Lydon. Jones, Matlock and Cook were also in fine form and they seem to be having fun playing these songs again. If you can, try and catch these guys in concert.

Setlist
1. Holidays In The Sun
2. Seventeen
3. New York
4. Pretty Vacant
5. Bodies
6. (I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone (Paul Revere/Monkees cover)
7. Liar
8. God Save The Queen
9. No Fun (Stooges cover)
10. No Feelings
11. Problems
12. EMI
13. My Way (Frank Sinatra cover)
14. Anarchy in the UK