Decent show at House of Blues last night... took my 15 year old to her first "rock" show and that part of it was VERy cool! She loved it and has been a fan for a while. Also took my 21 year old to her first Fishbone show and she really got into it as well.

The place was packed with (presumably) Stoopid fans. Pit was odd... as usual, a few pricks ruin everything. No Fishbone merch at the stand and the guy running it was not cool... 15 minutes after the 'Bone did their thing and AM does a decent sales pitch, the guy has no 'Bone merch and advises me to "try coming back later..." right.

Sound was not too bad, but pretty washed out. Wood's bass cord appeared to keep coming in and out... he'd grab it and shake it around and his bass would kick back in. I had to laugh... might wanna have a back-up ready to go... ;-)

Angelo looks VERY creepy in a Dutch-boy wig.

So, the show... it was pretty good. Nothing great and seemed quite short; less than an hour. Same setlist as usual. The new guys play well and seemed pretty into it all, but it just wasn't close to being on fire, you know. Funny comment I heard from a guy behind me who had never seen the 'Bone, "These guys are INTENSE!" Ha... if they only knew.

Anyway, hooking up with some peeps in Jax tonight... we'll keep ya posted.

Steve S.

Alrighty. Now I have a smidgin' more minutos to give a better review from Friday night's set. Yeah set. I hauled balls after Angelo &. Company finished up with "Servitude". Had not one ounce of wanting to stay and see Stoopid. Now don't take this the wrong way, I saw Stoopid couple years back and it was a decent show, it's just this night was all about the 'bone. I haven't seen Fishbone since what?, 1996? so I was jonzin' to see the "newer" line up and basically catch up (Chim-Chim was the last album I got from Fishbone). I got to H.O.B early, like 15 minutes after the doors opened (I'm a stickler for getting anywhere early) and there was a few people roaming around. First stop was the bathroom, had to relieve from the 24oz. Heine keg can I killed out in the parking lot. Next stop the merchandise table and after 15 seconds of extensive searching I was faced with the grim reality of "NO FISHBONE STUFF!". I was a bit peeved. I was wanting to replace my last 'bone shirt which was taken to the almighty depths of sweat stain hell and retired. Guy working the Stoopid stuff tried to put in a good word for some Stoopid wear, but I gladly declined. Well time to go see what's on special at the bar. Tonight's special (at least what I got) was 12oz. Heine keg cans for $4.00, counting the $1.00 left from the $5.00 for a tip (I used to tend bar, so I'm a stickler again for taking care of the bar crew). Well $5.00 special? Nada, nope, nunca! I nursed that Heine like a mama bear does her cub. Well skip the filler time, out comes this guy up on stage and proceeds into the microphone "Yo! Yo! Yo! I'm so and so and I'm your MC tonight!" and I'm thinking "What?". seems pro wakeboarder Parks Bonifay and his sponsor held some challange earlier in the week and they were showing the footage and voting on some manuevers and handing out awards. This took about 20-25 minutes, handed the swag out, and "blah! blah! blah!" alright already! Bring out Fishbone already! Well I gave in to the Heine keg can gods and put down another 5-spot, as a time killer.

Well about 20 minutes after the wakeboard deal, here appears this being from out behind the curtain and proceeds over to the right side stack (speakers) and climbs up. I turbo'd my beer, dump the can in the trash, and a fast pace down to the floor as close to the stage as I can. By this time the place was starting to get packed. Angelo was sporting, like Steve s. said, a dutch-boy wig, and had his remote loudspeaker with him. In true Angelo Moore fashion he began the set with a spoken ramble which iniated my stoke factor into overdrive, knowing that in a few minutes, it was time to get goin', cause it's motherfuckin' Fishbone!!! Couple of teens standing in front of me didn't know what top think of this individual rantin', one of them said "What the fuck is this shit! You suck!" for which I gladly tapped him upon his left shoulder and informed him that the individual up there is one Angelo Moore and he is from Fishbone, the band that is coming on. I don't think he got it at that present minute. Well Angelo climbed off the stack and it was time to get down. They started into the set with "Unyielding Condition", but before they got really into it, Angelo stood looking out over the crowd and said "You know, I was standing over by the merchandise table earlier (which is by the entrance doors) and I couldn't but help hearing some people say 'who and what are Fishbone? Well ain't that a bitch!' ", and then the show officially started. Our lil' teens that were in front of me where quite disappointed right off the giddy-up, because I viewed 2 of them in a stance like they were getting ready to run the NYC marathon. "Yeah I wanna get in the pit man! Yeah!". Ahhh, the smell of teen angst, I remember it well. Well "Unyielding Condition" grooved right into "Party At Ground Zero" and my lil' teen friends got a severe wake up call because not knowing what was coming next caught them off guard, cause one "Party At Ground Zero" got into it's beat, the floor went nuts and here was my chance to start skankin' my age 30 something ass off to the very front. Ahhh, the lost art of skankin', and it's just that. I got 3/4's of the way thru "the pit", actually nowadays it's just the middle of the floor, cause it resembles nothing like a pit that I remember from back in the day. I was "tackled" by the middle linebacker as I approached the end zone. Yeah the floor, like at most shows nowadays, resembles that of an acid trip gone haywire while trying to inmitate an Australian rules football game. I got up to about the very front and that''s were I parked my ass. After "Party At Ground Zero" came "Ma &. Pa" and by this time those who weren't in on the "know" about Fishbone, did now. Most everyone was dancin' around, and of course like Steve s. also said, couple of pricks can ruin it. The middle of the floor toughman contest was still ensuing. Some, and I know I'm forgetting a song or two, and not in order, of the live ear candy being offered this night were "Karma Tsunami", "Alcoholic", "Jackass Brigade", "Behind These Glasses", "Freddie's Dead", one song I had no clue of (sorry), one I'm forgetting (years of bong resin have taken residence) and closed it out with "Servitude". Angelo said "goodnight!" and I said "same to ya! Thanks for the gift! (it was my birthday)" and went home. Heard good positive comments from some on the floor during and on the walk out. Great thing that Fishbone recruitment plan is! All in all, even if 'bone was the opener, and the set was about an hour, hour and 10 minutes long, it was Fishbone. Can't look a gift horse in the mouth, gotta take what is offered, and gotta be thankful. I did take notice that Fishbone is playing Gainesville on the 12th, and Stoopid isn't on the bill, so I might make the 90 minute drive northbound and get a full helping of the 'bone.

Only peeve (besides NO merchandise) was some rather idiotic choices by some out on the floor. It's all about FUN, not auditioning for some toughman contest. Just never understood since the day I first starting going to shows why someone would shell out greenbacks to go purposely take cheap shots at people. Yeah, enter own risk bullshit down on the floor, but geez, your at Fishbone man, not fucking Screwdriver or Exploited. Guess I just don't jive with the whole "macho image" of today's generation (not all). Besides that, Fishbone came and kicked ass, and all I can say is "Thanks! Can I have another?". -dork.