Frank Carter is bringing fresh blood to punk’s original troublemakers as the Sex Pistols launch their first North American tour in over two decades. Like a dormant volcano suddenly announcing its return, the Gallows and Rattlesnakes frontman joins original members Steve Jones, Glen Matlock, and Paul Cook in a reunion that’s sparked both celebration and controversy.
The Sex Pistols kick off their tour September 16 at Dallas’s Longhorn Ballroom—a venue with serious punk history. During their infamous 1978 US tour, this was where guitarist Steve Jones recalls having “pigs’ hooves and bottles and what not slung at us by cowboys.” It’s the musical equivalent of returning to the high school that once expelled you, but now they’re naming the auditorium after you.
In an era where streaming platforms serve up music with all the edge of a butter knife, the Sex Pistols’ raw chaos feels necessary. The band behind “God Save The Queen”—regularly claimed as a song that created enormous backlash since its 1977 release—hasn’t lost its ability to provoke. You know that feeling when your playlist has become so predictable you can name the next song before it plays? Yeah, this tour is the antidote to that.
After receiving rave reviews for their London Royal Albert Hall performance last month, the Pistols are primed to bring that same energy stateside. Reports indicate strong ticket demand for the upcoming shows, with fans eager to see this new incarnation of the legendary punk outfit.
The tour expands beyond the initial 13 dates announced in March. They’ll headline Chicago’s Riot Fest on September 19, perform at Boston’s The Stage at Suffolk Downs on September 25, and appear at a punk festival in Brooklyn on September 27 that pays homage to the legendary CBGB venue.
The main run concludes at the Hollywood Palladium on October 16, with a final encore at The Pearl in Vegas on October 17—making this less of a tour and more of a cross-continental punk invasion.
There’s speculation among music journalists that fans can expect to hear selections from the iconic “Never Mind the Bollocks” album, along with other highlights from the band’s brief but groundbreaking catalog.
The Darth Vader to this punk Star Wars saga? Former frontman John Lydon (Johnny Rotten), who isn’t just absent from the reunion—he’s actively trashing it.
According to multiple interviews over the years, the relationship between Lydon and his former bandmates has been strained for some time. Steve Jones has mentioned their estrangement in several public appearances, including on his radio show “Jonesy’s Jukebox” in 2022.
Die-hard fans seem split on social media. Some accounts echo Lydon’s sentiments with “No Rotten, no Pistols” protests, while others embrace the change with enthusiasm for Carter’s energetic performance style.
What a difference half a century makes. Today’s venues are rolling out the red carpet rather than cleaning up animal parts.
In his ABC News interview, Carter acknowledged the band’s tumultuous history while expressing hope that today’s audiences would embrace the high-energy performances in a more positive atmosphere.
The complete North American tour dates are:
- Sep 16: Dallas, TX – Longhorn Ballroom
- Sep 19: Chicago, IL – Riot Fest
- Sep 23: Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
- Sep 25: Boston, MA – The Stage at Suffolk Downs
- Sep 26: Philadelphia, PA – Fillmore
- Sep 27: Brooklyn, NY – CBGB Festival
- Sep 30: Montreal, QC – Mtelus
- Oct 01: Toronto, ON – History
- Oct 03: Cleveland, OH – Agora Theatre
- Oct 04: Detroit, MI – Fillmore
- Oct 07: Minneapolis, MN – Fillmore
- Oct 10: Denver, CA – Mission Ballroom
- Oct 13: Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
- Oct 15: San Francisco, CA – Warfield
- Oct 16: Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium
- Oct 17: Las Vegas, NV – The Pearl
Tickets for Boston, Brooklyn, and Las Vegas go on sale this Friday at 10am local time. The band’s tour website offers various pre-sale options starting April 1-3, with general tickets available from April 4.
For younger fans wondering who this Frank Carter guy is—he built his reputation fronting hardcore punk band Gallows before moving on to Pure Love and later Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes. His notoriously intense performances and unmistakable tattoo-covered presence make him a natural fit for the Pistols’ confrontational legacy.
The Longhorn Ballroom, once the site of flying pig parts and hostility, now welcomes back the band as conquering heroes—a full-circle moment that proves punk’s ultimate revenge isn’t violence but endurance. Nearly half a century later, the Sex Pistols are still finding new ways to cause a commotion.
