Punk rock has come a long way since legendary British band the Sex Pistols launched on to the stage in 1975 with a crude and filthy act that brought us their controversial punk anthem "God Save the Queen" two years later, just before burning out and disbanding after a Jan. 14, 1978, San Francisco show.
The original members of the band, however, would reunite in 1996 for its Filthy Lucre Tour before disbanding again.
The Sex Pistols wasn't the only successful punk rock band to rise in the 1970's as the Ramones, The Clash and Buzzcocks were quite successful. Another music genre that paralleled punk was New Wave that merged a variety of styles including punk, pop, funk, reggae, synth, and brought us Blondie, Devo, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Talking Heads and many other alternative bands in the 1970's.
The 1980s would bring punk bands such as Black Flag, Bad Religion and Social Distortion, and in the 1990s, Green Day, Offspring and Rancid would make their mark.
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Punk Rock Museum Opening Delayed
Several punk and New Wave bands have even been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, including the Sex Pistols, The Ramones, The Clash, Green Day, Blondie and Talking Heads. Many of these bands and more will likely be featured in a new music attraction -- The Punk Rock Museum, which will rise at 1422 Western Ave. in Las Vegas, just south of Downtown and the Arts District and northwest of The Strip.
The museum will house what it claims to be the world's most expensive, inclusive, and intimate display of artifacts, fliers, photos, clothing, instruments, handwritten lyrics, artwork and other items donated by people and bands that were involved in punk rock's beginnings.
The project includes a 12,000 square-foot facility that features galleries that will display artifacts such as Devo's energy dome helmets, Blondie vocalist Debbie Harry's iconic Vultures t-shirt, an acoustic guitar on which Rise Against wrote some of their first songs and a bright green chainsaw Sum 41 used to begin their shows during the Does This Look Infected? tour.
The Punk Rock Museum is getting ready for its opening as it already put presale tickets on sale in October, but punk rock fans, as well as other curious individuals, will have to wait a little longer than the original Jan. 13, 2023, opening date to walk through the halls of music history. It has set a new opening date for March 10, according to its website, and general admission tickets will be available later in 2023.
Punk Rock Artists Conduct Guided Tours
The museum will also offer guided tours by actual punk rock legends beginning April 1. Among the confirmed punk rock artist tour guides are Louiche Mayorga from Suicidal Tendencies, Noodles from The Offspring, Stacey Dee and Linh Le from Bad Cop/Bad Cop, Don Bolles from The Germs/45 Graves, Angelo Moore from Fishbone, Greg Hetson from Circle Jerks/Punk Rock Karaoke, Warren Fitzgerald and Joe Escalante from The Vandals, Pete Koller from Sick Of It All, Smelly from NOFX, Roger Miret from Agnostic Front, Intruder Blue from Masked Intruder, Scott Shiflett from Face To Face, Paddy Costello from Dillinger Four and Zach Blair from Rise Against.
The Punk Rock Museum was the brainchild of NOFX leader Mike "Fat Mike" Burkett, who brought together skateboard legend Tony Hawk, Foo Fighters Pat Smear, Bad Religion's Brett Gurewitz and Vans Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman to help bankroll the venture. The facility is more than a museum, according to its website, as it includes a bar, tattoo parlor, wedding chapel, punk shop and more.
