Concert Review: Jesse Malin and Tommy Stinson @ Empire Underground, 3/22/23

Rock and Roll kids.

Jesse Malin and Tommy Stinson have both been rocking stages since their early teens, and they show no signs of letting up as they navigate through their 50s. On Wednesday night at Empire Underground, they demonstrated how the fine art of self-reinvention keeps them relevant and rolling.

Starting out at age 12, forming the hardcore band Heart Attack, fronting the glam punk band D Generation in the 90s, and now as a prolific rock and roll singer-songwriter, New York City’s Jesse Malin is now on tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of the release of his acclaimed solo debut, The Fine Art of Self Destruction.  

Malin and the band came out swinging on with “The Way We Used to Roll” and kept a brisk pace diving into selections from The Fine Art like “Wendy”  and “Downliner.”

A spirited Springsteenesque performer, Malin kept the energy high for the entire show, climbing into the audience to lead sing-alongs and telling stories between songs, including a funny tale of opening for The Misfits as a teen.

A cover of The Replacement’s “Bastards of Young” was slowed to a piano-driven ballad, giving the biting lyrics room to breathe.  Opener Tommy Stinson came back out to add backing vocals for “State of the Art” and joined in for a rollicking “Meet Me at the End of the World.”

Tommy Stinson (after the show): “Jesse and I have known each other forever. It seems like, you know,  we’ve been best buds for probably 30 years now.  Yeah, he’s always got my back; he’s always been a very good friend like that.  He’s a fantastic songwriter. I mean, look at him, he’s made all these records, and he’s fuckin’ still doing it!”

A rocksteady cover of “Rudie Can’t Fail” by The Clash for an encore capped the evening.

Opener Tommy Stinson learned to play bass at 11 and joined his brother Bob’s band, then dropped out of school in 10th grade because he needed to tour with The Replacements.

He’s been busy ever since as a member of Soul Asylum and Guns ‘N Roses, as well as with his own bands Bash & Pop and Perfect and his solo work.

“First show back with the new hip,” Stinson reported as the songs just seemed to pour out of him in an endearingly unassuming manner.  Solo with just his green acoustic Gibson, Tommy unveiled a few tunes from the Cowboys in the Campfire’s upcoming release, his duo with Chip Roberts.

Jesse Malin (after the show): “Tommy Stinson-if you had to look up rock and roll in the dictionary, you’d see Tommy Stinson.  I’ve known him since I’m 14. The guy has a lot of heart, a lot of swagger, a lot of talent-he’s just a really good guy, and he’s funny as fuck.  And he’s a survivor, and that impresses me in this crazy world, you know, people that just keep going ’cause they need to do it.”

Photo Gallery by Leif Zurmuhlen