The Scene: The show at the Ogden Theatre was sold-out Thursday night, however the venue didn’t feel as packed as the last sold-out event this reporter attended (Flogging Molly), there was definitely more room to dance and people were able to move freely throughout the venue and bar lines were not as unmanageable. The fans were varied, from Punks to Ska kids, Scenesters, as well as a few older fans. There were quite a few Mohawks spotted, but the accessory of the night was black plastic eyeglasses.
Opener: Authority Zero. Lots of Punks showed up to support Mesa, Arizona based band Authority Zero, who was the only Punk band on Thursday’s line-up. The sound quality was amazing, one could actually hear what the singer was saying, which is so rarely accomplished in Denver with Punk music, so kudos to the Ogden staff. The fans were appreciative, singing along to the “Whoas” and choruses, and even the bouncers were bobbing their heads. This was the first night of this tour and the band was on-point with lots of energy. They played Punk songs with the exception of “One More Minute,” a Reggae track they dedicated to a friend that had recently passed away. The highlight of the night seemed to be “Revolution,” and the thirty minutes the band was allowed was not long enough.
Opener: Less Than Jake. Punk-Ska band Less Than Jake (Gainsville, Florida) really stole the show: they were the epitome of a fantastic performance. They started the show with an announcer who immediately had the crowd chuckling then the band started with an old favorite, “Look What Happened,” and as they started to play, huge fog machines began to billow and the stage lights went crazy. In addition to the fog, the band later brought out leaf blowers rigged to blow toilet paper into the crowd, confetti guns, as well as two huge bags of “Less Than Jake” printed balloons. Fists, arms, and fingers were up in the air all over the venue and girls scrambled from the front as the fans started knocking into each other wildly. Ron Jeremy’s brother Bill was in attendance and the band brought him onstage and picked a girl from the audience to come onstage and dance with him.
Buddy Schaub on trombone was truly on top of his game, musically as well as energetically, dancing around the stage and pumping up the crowd when he wasn’t playing. The set list was varied and the band even mentioned that they didn’t want to just play the hits they are known for, but some obscure songs as well, even playing a song they claimed they had never played live before: “Harvey Wallbanger.” The band did play several old-time favorites as well as some stuff of their latest album See The Light, finishing with “The Pac-Man Cereal Theme Song,” which they were commissioned to write for the old cereal making a comeback this fall.
Reel Big Fish: The Huntington Beach, California band Reel Big Fish gave a predictable performance. There were no bells or whistles, just the same old hits that the band keeps performing. The band played impeccably and was dressed smartly, but the performance felt “gimmicky” and too rehearsed. They came onstage as the song “The Final Countdown” played, and began their set with “Trendy” followed by “I Want Your Girlfriend To Be My Girlfriend Too.” Lots of people were skanking and the entire place reeked of pot smoke. They played “She Has A Girlfriend Now” with the female part pre-recorded, which seemed as overly polished as the rest of the performance, and an uninspired cover of “Brown Eyed Girl.”
During “Where Have You Been,” singer Aaron Barrett forgot the words, blaming the state’s legalization of marijuana, and even going as far as to Google the lyrics onstage. It was the only time the performance didn’t feel played out, but it could’ve been a gimmick. Either way the crowd found it endearing. Touring member Edward Larsen, who played impeccably, did the drumming for the night’s show. The band plays “Suburban Rhythm” during every live performance, playing the song in different styles, this time doing Disco/Dance style, Country, and Metal versions of the song this time. They played the song “Beer” with a great mash-up of the song “Self-Esteem,” and Less Than Jake singer Chris DeMakes jumped onstage to sing a bit of this one.
The band ran offstage for a minute, coming back on playing a cover of the Bouncing Souls’ “Ole” as well as a cover of Sublime’s “Garden Grove” that they started playing and the audience just kept singing, surprising Barrett that the audience knew the song in it’s entirety. The band finished their encore with “Thank You For Not Moshing,” “Sellout,” and “Take On Me.” It was good to see the band once in my lifetime, but the predictability and over rehearsal of the performance will prevent me from wanting to see the band again.
Energy: B
Musicianship: A
Sound: A
Stage Presence: B-
Set/Light Show: C-
Overall: B-
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