THIS SHOW WAS A DAMN GOOD SHOW !

I saw Fishbone for the first time in 1993, it was the orignal lineup at this time. The show was crazy, everybody jumping, Chris Dowd turning around his keyboard, Fishplaying drums from behind in the depths of the stage, Kendall and John on guitars, Dirty Walt... I remember Angelo climbing on a speaker column which was about 4 or 5 meters high then diving onto the crowd... Awesome... ! This will remain the best Fishbone show... to me.

BUT, this time in the Ouvre-Bo?te, in 2005, Fishbone was AT LEAST AS GOOD AS in 1993.
Now that there are keyboards and trumpets again on stage, they can play "old" good songs like Unyelding Conditionning or Party At Ground Zero, it made me shiver...

The band members were smiling, appeared to be relaxed and still on top form (considering the amount of alcohol they absorb!...). The new members, Rocky, Pastor Dre, Dre are really good... the alchemy is here. It was also great to see John McKnight, and... John "Wet Daddy" Steward is fucking great !
Fishbone is still here, and is still the best live band... no one can deny...

A word on the french band, Wolfunkind : they're good, a little too "metal" to me, but very original compared to other "funk called" french bands. They sound a little like the "French Funk Federation", a great p-funk band from the 90's... Don't forget to buy their CD,, they sell it at cost price... I guess no one else do that...!

Tandis que la "froinicule" perdure sur l'ensemble de l'Hexagone, Fishbone réalise une tournée-marathon d'une vingtaine de dates.
Malgré leurs déboires artistiques (méventes, désintérêt flagrant des maisons de disques sitôt la mode "fusion" du début des années 90 déclinante) les Californiens, découverts par les Transmusicales de Rennes au milieu des années 80, bénéficient toujours d'une cote de popularité notoire en France.
Au sein du groupe, sans cesse remodelé, ne figurent au générique du soir que deux musiciens originels :
Angelo Moore -leader incontestable- et John Norwood Fisher, bassiste à la dreadlock unique.
Rocky Georges (ex Suicidal Tendancies qui ressemble désormais au héros du film Ghost Dog) a récemment rejoint le combo.
Alors que l'Ouvre-Boîte se remplit (350 personnes environ), Angelo, chapeau vissé sur son crâne tatoué, est partout à la fois.
Aux abords des consoles pour s'assurer que tout se déroule pour le mieux.
Au milieu de la foule pour dédicacer quelques disques et embrasser quelques filles.
Près du stand merchandising...
Puis vint l'heure de rejoindre les planches.
D'abord seul en scène, Moore, en costume de dandy, évoque ses soldats Fishbone et sa lutte permanente contre le racisme et le fascisme, lors d'un discours engagé.
Grâce à cette introduction enragée, tout le monde était déterminé pour la party !
L'entrée en matière du set fut tranquille avec Unyielding conditioning et une version paisible d'Everyday sunshine...
Fishbone possédant toujours cette faculté pour embraser une salle, tout s'accéléra ensuite : alternant classique ska (Ma & Pa) ou proche du hardcore (Freddy's dead) avec titre reggae ou furie soul, le public s'en donna à coeur joie.
Les 7 membres de la Black Rock Coalition incarnent une sorte de chorale punky-funkysante (avec piano et trompettes).
Maître ès-saxophone et charmeur fou, Angelo Moore, la quarantaine rugissante, confirme que son groupe vieillit à merveille et qu'il demeure l'un des rares à capter une attention pendant près de deux heures, chaque soir.
Chapeau bas, Angelo.

Review found at http://www.foutraque.com/chronique_concert.php?id=1544

The first time, I've seen fishbone in 1992 in a club called "Le Pied" near Toulouse. It was during la "grève des routiers" in summer 1992.

Second time, was in "Le Bikini" in toulouse in 1993 or 1994, I don't exactly remember the year.

Third Time was in Elysée-Montmartre in 2002 and the last time was saturday at "l'ouvre boîte" in beauvais.

First thing, for whose who are asking themselves if the fishbone of the 2000's is the same than the 1990's one, I would like to answer a big YESSSS !

My feeling is that fishbone touch your heart and your soul very deep because they are authentistic. That's the fishbone spirite !

You can see a very good and efficient horn section (3 horns) and the keyboard is very good too. I've almost forgotten the very talentuous Chris Dowd ;-) ).

Angelo is really amazing. He's still jumpin, slammin' and movin' and the girls are always crazy of him. He's really the driving force of the band.

John steward gives the power of a truck mixed with the precision of a switz clock.

Just a word about Rocky george. It's not easy to master the fishbone repertory and I think he will find his place slowly but surely in this band. Just a couack on sunless saturday. The guitar is a bit under mixed but I think it's desired to let him the time to be efficient.

Actually, I really think that fishbone is one of the best band (the best for me) on stage that you could see. Because it's not only virtuosity but energy and soul too.

They make me remember the best moments of all the end 80's early 90's hardcore scene with bands like Bad Brains (spiritual fathers of several bands), DI, MDC, and others.
In this style, 24-7 spyz were not bad too.

Even if they are the remainders of this golden period they cross time, intact and always better and better.

Fishbone is definitively my favorite band.

Continue and continue and I would be here to support you as far as possible coz' I'm a fishbone soldier ;-))