INDIO – Fullerton’s Social Distortion used its blend of punk rock to start mosh pits at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the main Coachella stage shortly after their opening song of “I Was Wrong.””I Was Wrong,” off their 1996 album “White Light, White Heat, White Trash,” was the first of many crowd pleasers from heavily tattooed lead singer Mike Ness and company.

Next up was “Reach for the Sky,” from the 2004 album “Sex, Love and Rock ‘n’ Roll,” that drew heavy applause with Ness’ catchy lyrics of “So if you please take this moment/Try if you can to make it last/Don’t think about no future/And just forget about the past/And make it last/ … Reach for the Sky because tomorrow may neve come.”

The group also performed “Gimme the Sweet and Lowdown” and “Story of My Life” in rapid-fire succession with an enormous mosh-pit for the latter song off their self-titled 1990 album.

Ness even performed the group’s last single “Machine Gun Blues” from their 2011 album “Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes.”

wes.woods@inlandnewspapers.com