I don’t know why I still like Johnny Rotten. In the Sex Pistols and early days of Public Image Limited he seemed more of a red herring, go-for-broke sort of chap, always teetering on the fine line somewhere between indulging and impatient. A few of his longtime fans might feel that the guy has recently become soft in his old age. (Or maybe they’ve gone that route as well.) Perhaps it’s that vegetarianism or just a decision to be kinder and more endearing Rotten, sort of a funnily-cynical curmudgeon, always outspoken but perhaps not as mean-spirited in his outbursts. The first comparison that comes to mind is how Borscht Belt comedian Milton Berle was so ahead of his time years ago but ended up exchanging one-liners and punchlines with Muppets on Sesame Street. Rotten didn’t seem too too far off from that last part Friday evening. But he still proved he could deliver a great set, not give a shit if we liked it or not, and have the crowd eating out of his hand.
