|
I've known Danny since I went to Syracuse University (I think '97...whoa), and he just sent me a link to this forum. I thought I'd try and contribute.
-----
The Aquabats, July 1, 2005, B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, New York, NY
Opening acts: The Epoxies, The Phenomenauts
Price: $13
This was the first show I had been to since I was a student at Syracuse in 2001. After graduation, pretty much every band I loved broke up (Skavoovie, the Pilfers, the Articles, etc.), and I was finding it difficult to follow the scene in New York (there are no people in NYC as dedicated as Danny when it comes to promoting ska shows).
Anyway, my girl and I decided we needed to see a show, so I bought tickets to the Aquabats after reading about their last U.S. tour this year before heading to Europe.
As pretty much all New Yorkers do, we were fashionably late to the show, completely missing the Phenomenauts. As a rule, I typically try and miss opening bands, although in retrospect, I probably missed some good DLO or Short Round shows that way.
We got there in time for the Epoxies, and they put on a good set. If you're not familiar with them, they play up tempo pop-punk, and are good showmen. They were on strict time limit, and were allowed no encores. Essentially, after their last song, they were booted off stage.
Because B.B. King's place is highly commercialized and corporate-oriented, they moved things right along. The Aquabats were on stage no less than twenty minutes after the Epoxies played their last note.
The lights went down, and two forward projection screens turned on. It was a mock ad for a twisted children's product, advertised by none other than the Bat Commander himself. There was a collective laugh shared by the crowd, which seemed to be pretty varied in composition. Lots of teenagers, some 20-somethings, and a few older than that.
After the ad, the Aquabats took the stage to great applause, and began their shtick about saving the world. Their first song was "Super Rad", and the crowd was with them all the way. It's rare to go to a show where everyone in attendance is rabid over the group playing. Last time I witnessed this was in 1999, when the Toasters came to Hungry Charlie's. Bucket had the crowd in the palm of his hand.
The show was fast moving, and they played a little from each album, including their new one. I wasn't super crazy about their new songs, as they were a little less ska than I'm used to. They weren't bad by any means, and at least they weren't as horrible as Save Ferris' non-ska outings.
The group ran the show like it was a Saturday morning cartoon, taking short "commercial" breaks to show more videos on the two screens. They fought with a number of bad guys, one of which eventually defeated the Bat Commander.
This was perhaps the most entertaining part of the show. As the Bat Commander lay dead from a snake bite, the rest of the group got the audience to sing Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" in order to bring him back to life. The Bat Commander miraculously came back to life, and defeated the snake enemy, restoring justice and peace to the world.
My lasting impression of the Aquabats was that they were consummate professionals, and superb showmen. There was a great mix of pre-planned antics and improv, keeping things fresh and entertaining. The band seemed to really enjoy what they were doing, which really rubs off on the audience. After the set ended, and they played an encore of "Pool Party", everyone leaving B.B. Kings had the same feeling; "What a great show!" Absolutely no one left saying, "I've seen better."
If you haven't seen the Aquabats before, I high suggest making time to go catch them. You won't be disappointed.
|
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
