I was there! I saw Fishbone at the Palladium, the
first week or so of July, 1991, and I saw with my own
eyes the things you describe, which I wouldn't believe
UNLESS I saw them with my own eyes!

That show is still the single best, most powerful
musical performance I have ever witnessed in my life,
and I cannot imagine it ever being topped. The band
was completely on FIRE, opening with Freddie's Dead
and Angelo in the crowd before he sang the first word,
and throughout the show -- he really, truly did
somehow climb up to a balcony, at least 20-25 feet
over the floor, and jump down into the loving crowd
which caught him and brought him back up to the stage
(I've always wondered if that show was the one Vernon
Reid refers to in his liner notes for the FB 101
thing). I also remember Norwood introducing one song
(Subliminal Fascism? Behavior Control? unfortunately
can't remember ....) with an off-the-cuff but
completely inspired lecture about the importance of
being true to yourself, and not believing everything
you're told (specific reference was to the "war" with
Iraq, and the American people not being told the truth
about the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis killed by
our "smart" bombs).

This was during that short period of time when
Fishbone not only WANTED to change the world (that's
always been true), but when it seemed like maybe
actually they WOULD.

OK, I'm going to stop before I get too emotional ...
oh, but Petey, I don't at all remember either of the
openers you mentioned, 2 Live Crew or the Dirty Dozen,
and I THINK I would -- although perhaps the headliners
were so good the erased whatever musical memories I
had beforehand!

Steve