So my wife and I went to see Fishbone on Saturday night in Malibu and i
have to say, while it wasn't one of their best performances, it was
probably the most fun I've had at a 'Bone show in a couple of years.
And to me, that's 3/4 of the battle. From the get go, there appeared to
be a huge sense of relief on John, Angelo, and Norwood's faces. And
while I'll always love the N5 lineup, the addition of Brewster on keys
and the new horn section adds so much to their sound. It's like the
protein that I've been craving in my FB diet. And I'm happy to report
that the color-by-numbers arrangements are gone, opening up a lot more
room for jamming. Here's the setlist from what I could remember
(definitely not in order):

Unyeilding Conditioning
Another Generation
Lyin' Ass Bitch
Alcoholic
They All Have Abandoned Their Hopes
Pressure
Freddie's Dead
Ma & Pa
Junkie's Prayer (just Angelo, Brewster, & Rocky)
Bonin'
Ugly
Everyday Sunshine
Sunless Saturday

encore:
The Suffering
Party @ Ground Zero

I'll be the first to admit I miss Walt and there were times that I
sensed that Angelo did too. I think Angelo needs someone to be a foil
for him to play off of. There were times when Brewster or Rocky would
play that role, but nowhere near to the extent that Walt used to. Not
yet anyway. But Angelo seemed to be having a blast playing band leader
and cueing the horn section. Rocky George is a nice fit on guitar.
Norwood did most of the background vocals with some help from Brewster,
Tim-I and Kid Merv. And for as much as John Steward gets derided, I
think you all should thank your lucky stars that he decided to stick
around. Because i don't think the good ship Fishbone would be nearly as
sea-worthy without him. All in all, a great show. But the best moment
of all was just seeing the ear-to-ear grins on all the band members'
faces at the end and Angelo and Brewster hugging as they walked
off-stage.

-Adam

Stay tuned for Pt. 2 where I go into some detail about the drunk Barbie
girls in the audience (and the frat guys who love them).