So yeah, I made it out to Danbury last Saturday to catch the Toasters show, I was expecting a good group of openers followed by a great set from the Toasters. What I got was.....well it was suprising.
This show had a whole slew of firsts for me. It was the first time that I had ever seen any of the bands that played. It was the first time that I had ever been to the Empress. And the stangest 'first' of all, it was the first time that I had ever drug my dad out to a show with me. That was interesting, I think he had everyone in the room by at least 15 years, if the Toasters wern't there he would have had even more of an edge. Anyway about the bands, Guerillafinga was the first up, they played reggae, I wish I could say more about them, but I can't. They wasn't really anything to notice about them, they were just good background music to have while I was getting to know all of the kids there. It was during their set that about half of the girls in the room came up and introduced themselves to me. (Not all at once mind you) I can only attribute this to the fact that I was wearing a suit. So for all you guys out there, wear suits to ska shows. If for no other reason than the girls there will think that you're the coolest thing since sliced bread.
While I was talking to the kids there they all seemed to ask me the same question: "Have you seen the Superspecs?" My first reaction to this was, well these guys must have some pretty loyal friends that come to all of their shows and talk 'em up real good. While this was not completly wrong, I soon found out the real reason for all the buzz. The Superspecs took the stage and wasted no time in blowing me away. Their blend of ska, punk, rock and funk was amazing. The vocals were strong and the horns were stronger. On top of that they actually knew how to put on a show. They didn't do the whole "lets get someone to eat a twinkie out of my ass" or any crazy antics like that. They just knew how to preform as a group rather than a bunch of guys with insruments. I've never seen a band that can make a crowd go from a mosh pit to a conga line in the space of one song. I couldn't believe that I had never heard of these guys before. They were just that good. By the end of their set I was ready for the sounds of the Toasters. Unfortunately I had one band left to get through before the Toasters.
That band was Badfish, a Sublime cover band. During their set I could just see brad rolling over in his grave. The band managed to mangle ever song that they played the only thing keeping them from being strung up from the nearest pole was that the crowd could sing along with every song. So again I took to talking to other people, trying to promote the Pietasters show up here next week and whatnot. And I ended up playing dice with (Warning! Serious name dropping ahead!) Bucket and Chaz from Westbound train as well as the Superspecs merch girl. I was in awe that I was standing next to the man that has done more for the US ska scene than anyone else. So yeah that was awesome.
Finially it was time for the Toastes set. Even though Badfish had done nothing for the crowd, we were ready. I can't remember what they opened with, Maybe Dog Eat Dog, (which is def my new favorite song, go get Enemy of the System if you don't have it). It pretty much chronicles what went wrong on the US ska scene. They also played Mona, I Wasn't Gonna Call You Anyway, Weekend in LA, Shocker, and Underground Town, and closed with D.L.T.B.G.Y.D. I can't remember the rest of the songs, but it was a tight set. The crowd showed there approval and enthusiam by their dancing. I've never seen that many people skanking at once, it was great. There was room to move adound and try new moves, I even saw Chaz swing dancing. After D.L.T.B.G.Y.D. the crowd was cheering for more the band looked like they were ready to get up and play some more. Unfortunately, the club decided to be dicks and tell everyone (including the bands) to go home. Assholes.
The Empress Ballroom - Danbury, CT
September 14th, 2002