In certain Southern California circles, Social Distortion is as much a lifestyle as a band. So it's hardly surprising that the hard-luck, hard-living, roots-rock punk outfit has decided to suck it up and dive back in 11 months after the death of guitarist Dennis Danell.

Thursday's show at the House of Blues was the third of five at the West Hollywood venue. The current burst of shows -- which includes a pair in Las Vegas before returning home to Orange County for an unprecedented nine nights at the new Anaheim House of Blues -- seems as much a dose of group therapy as a welcome return to form.

The revamped lineup, now featuring former Cadillac Tramp Johnny Wickersham on guitar, sounded sharp -- sharper, really, than the old one. "Dennis was not the best player in the band," singer Mike Ness admitted. "He was the best GUY in the band."

It follows that spark is just as important as sound at a Social D show; Thursday, it remained muted. Doing a long string of concerts will be tough both emotionally and physically, though it'll likely strengthen the band. The Anaheim stand, which starts Tuesday, may well stoke the flame.

Danell, who died of an apparent brain aneurysm last February, was clearly on his old bandmate's mind the entire evening. Several times Ness referred to his longtime buddy while tapping his fist to his heart.

If not for the dark eyeliner and the tattoos creeping above his collar, you might not have recognized him -- Ness wore a black shirt, light tie, black dress pants and a black fedora.

But his voice -- peculiarly nasal, gruff and wounded -- will always be Ness' distinguishing characteristic. "Let's do this . . . ." he declared.

Before Danell's collapse the band already had been on hiatus while Ness released a pair of twangy roots-rock records. Thursday's set of old and new helped the band get its footing as well as take that difficult next step forward.

Mosh pits started on the packed floor from the first song, "Mommy's Little Monster."

There were some telling song selections; "Cold Feelings" was one of several dealing with mortality.

Ness dedicated several songs to Danell, who formed the band with Ness in 1979. The new "Don't Take Me For Granted" was a subtle shift toward vocals from their usual powerhouse sound. Another promising new song, "I Won't Run Anymore," also seemed to be more lyrically oriented.

The show never seemed dark or depressing, and Ness hasn't lost his sense of humor. "I was wrong once -- once -- and I wrote a song about it," he said as the band tore into a meaty "I Was Wrong."

Standards such as "Bad Luck" and the churning "Dear Lover" got the crowd going and seemed to help bolster the band -- Ness, Wickersham, drummer Charlie Quintana and bassist John Maurer.

The standouts were the cover of "Ring of Fire" and the closing "Ball Chain" -- even though Ness forgot some of the words. He attributed such lapses to drugs, alcohol, the occasional kick in the head and jail, among other things. But you could forgive him for being preoccupied.

He returned alone with his electric guitar for the encore, a heartfelt version of "When the Angels Sing": "There's gotta be a heaven, I've already done my time in hell."

The band returned for the rest of the encore, which ended with the hard-luck "Story of My Life" -- an apt description for the entire show.

But the crowd, which sang along heartily, seemed determined to believe in a happy ending. Crowd surfers finally sprouted, one guy had to be lead away (it's just not a Social Distortion show unless somebody winds up in headlock) and Ness' hat flew off with his final guitar flourish.

It finally seemed like old times.

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Music Review

Social Distortion

Anaheim: 8 p.m. Tuesday through Jan. 27, Jan. 29-30 and Feb. 1-2, House of Blues, 530 S. Disneyland Drive. $25. (714) 778-2583.

West Hollywood: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 31, House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Blvd. $25. (323) 848-5100.

San Diego: 7 p.m. Feb. 3, 4th B, 345 B St. $25. (619) 231-4343.

Information: Ticketmaster, (714) 740-2000 or (619) 220-8497.