Coming off a trek of the land down under, seminal Los Angeles-based bubblegum-glam inflected punk rock band Redd Kross – led by brothers Jeffrey and Stephen McDonald – are currently on a spring U.S. tour, tearing up Austin’s 29th St. Ballroom on March 27, 2026.
The group have been playing killer shows to promote the release of their documentary Born Innocent, which they are selling on tour, and will also be available to order on Blu-Ray and DVD on April 3, 2026. The 2-disc release will include 5 hours of bonus features.
Springing out of the early 1980s Southern California punk scene (the same which produced Black Flag), the band’s influence reaches across punk, college rock, grunge, metal and indie rock. Members of Sonic Youth, the Go-Gos, The Bangles, Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, and L7, as featured in the documentary, all cite them as one of the most important and unapologetic bands of the last 4+ decades.
2024 – the year of Red Kross’ 45th anniversary – saw the release of the McDonalds’ memoir, Now You’re One of Us, a double-album, and the announcement of the Born Innocent documentary (directed by Andrew Reich.) The band toured in 2025 and 2026 to promote the film’s screenings.
Last Friday night was no exception to the raucous, trailblazing path the group has been on since 1979. Jeff McDonald returned to the stage in Austin, TX and was still as energetic as ever despite apparently still recovering from a brief illness that left the band playing the last few shows prior to this as the “Redd Kross Power Trio.”
“I’ve seen Redd Kross a number of times since the ‘80s, and they always seem to be happy to be playing, whether the crowds are large or small,” says Beaumont musician Mark Wyatt.
Much to the ecstasy of the faithful, the Ballroom was packed. Redd Kross performed about an hour’s worth of fan favorites, including “Annie’s Gone” (from the 1990 album Third Eye) and “Stay Away From Downtown” (from the 2012 album Researching The Blues.) The group also did a number of eclectic covers, as they always do – “Crazy Horses” by the Osmonds, “Deuce” by Kiss, “Blow You A Kiss in the Wind” by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, as heard on the classic TV show Bewitched, as well as “It Won’t Be Long” and a bit of “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” by The Beatles.
This is one of the best shows I’ve seen at the Ballroom, a beautiful hangout spot near the University of Texas campus which usually hosts few crowded shows with a lot of up-and-coming rock acts. However, Redd Kross proved they could hold any room, and this show felt completely and uniquely Austin – loud, proud, and ready to rock and roll.
Check out Redd Kross covering “Crazy Horses” here:
Featured photo and video by Serenity Autumn.
