What's Fourth of July in Southern California without--no, not hot dogs, fireworks, or baseball--The Hootenanny! You'll have to ask the folks at Irvine's Hidden Valley, as the summer of 2003 saw the show move to its latest venue, Fullerton Field in the cozy confines of Cal State Fullerton's campus. Scheduled for two days this year, The Hootenanny also featured dueling headliners--the long-awaited reunion of the Stray Cats on Saturday, July 5th, and one of the bands that made the Hoot, Social Distortion following on Sunday. Both days saw packed crowds, high temps, and great lineups...just what you'd expect from The Hootenanny. While the car show was a little on the weak side (blame campus regulations), the bands were on fire, from old favorites like the Cadillac Tramps and the Paladins to solo performances from John Doe and Dave Vanian and his Phantom Chords. We're not quite sure where The Hootenanny will find itself next year, but you can bet that wherever it is, we'll be right there, too!
A regular on the Hootenanny stages, James Intveldt rocked the crowd as usual.
Girls, Girls, and more girls. Saturday was hot enough that umbrellas were one of the more sought after items of the day.
As always, Exene puts it all on the line for the Hootenanny.
An icon in rockabilly music.
As usual, Slim Jim was all about lookin' cool and keeping the beat in the hot July sun.
Brian Setzer has, by far, the coolest collection of Gretsch guitars on the planet.
The Stray Cats came out with a bang and were hardcore enough to sport leather in 90-degree SoCal weather.
Lee Rocker played like the 'Cats had never missed a beat, even though this was their first show playing together since Carl Perkin's memorial concert at the House of Blues in L.A. some years back.
An incredible set was given by crowd favorite John Doe, which included a mix of X tunes and original John Doe music.
There were lots of vendors making their mark on the Cal State Fullerton site.
A mainstay at the Hootenanny are the Cadillac Tramps. Never ones to disappoint, their energetic set kicked some serious ass.
This car made the ride all the way down from the Bay Area.
The great thing about The Hootenanny is the varied mix of cars that show up.
Some finished, some almost finished, and some that may never be finished.
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