Streetlight Manifesto and Reel Big Fish played in celebration of RBF’s new album at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC last night. I haven’t been to Roseland since 311 and Jimmie’s chicken shack played there back in 2000. It seemed a lot larger back then.
The opening act was Tip the Van. We didn’t make it in time to see their performance and were totally kicking ourselves after seeing 1/2 of the band get on stage and perform “She Has a Girlfriend Now” with Reel Big Fish. Tip the Van is an absolute must-see when they are back in the area.
I’ve never been all that in to Streetlight Manifesto, but that’s completely changed since last night. I had no idea they were as good as they are. I guess they’re just one of those bands I needed to see live. The sound in Roseland completely sucks, but their performance was still incredible. The four guys on the horns, especially their trumpet player, were great and always gave each other the chance to shine. I honestly don’t think I’ve seen musicians up on stage having as much fun as those guys were having last night. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any clips of their performance.
Reel Big Fish’s performance was awesome. There was so much energy in the room; everyone was dancing and having a good time. There was the occasional shoe or something being thrown around but hey, that’s the pool tax. If you’re gonna swim in the pool, there’s a price to pay. I’m just happy there weren’t any pants flying in the air or banannas being peeled like at the Aquabats show back in November!
They played a good mix of old songs and some of the covers off of their new album.
You can check out a bunch of additional videos on my Youtube channel.
Reel Big Fish closed the show with two great songs; Sell Out and a cover of A-Ha’s Take on Me. The only part of the night I regret is not being able to get further in to the crowd during RBF’s performance. Having spent the past 3 weeks in a knee brace, I figured I’d try not to do anything stupid and keep it off for a while.
All in all, this was one of the best concerts I’ve been to in the past couple of years. The crowd was huge, the music was great, and the overall vibe in the place was positive. I really hope that all of this is a sign of a resurgence of Ska. New Reel Big Fish album, The Aquabats are working on a new release, the Ska is Dead tour is going strong. What’s next? Maybe Obama will wear a checkered fedora hat while in office?
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.
