Ska-punk giants Reel Big Fish take over the Fox Theatre
The Reel Big Fish show is not recommended for weak individuals.
To make it through their concert, a fan cannot be too weak to carry a person above their head or dislike having their face slammed into the sweaty heads of the surrounding audience members.
As the Fox Theatre packed tight with green-clad fans of the ska-punk group on March 15, a wild tension filled the venue.
Even before the opening band entered the stage, the venue was full. No sense of personal space could be acquired as people smashed, sweated and leaned into one another. There was a forced sense of intimacy as people groped their neighbor just to keep balance in a sea of hopping bodies.
Eight-piece group Chase Long Beach was welcomed by mighty bellows and cheers. Lead vocalist Karen Roberts joked with the crowd about her fellow band members.
“[Trombonist] Scott doesn’t know how to speak, he only knows how to do this,” said Roberts as she made the rock ‘n’ roll sign with her hand.
The band’s high-energy ska-punk sound riled up the crowd, filling the room with the sticky hot sweat and breath of hundreds of jumping bodies. The band felt the almost unbearable warmth on stage.
“It’s hot in Colorado! How did that happen?” Roberts said.
After Chase Long Beach played their final song, audience members took the opportunity to find lost friends swept away by the mosh pit and to chat with the strangers they had so willingly slammed up against throughout the performance.
While the opening band attracted a sea of bodies, Reel Big Fish’s appearance caused a wave of excitement. Bodyguards shoved unwelcome guests off the stage and tried to maintain some sort of order as the excitement built and people crowd surfed.
Reel Big Fish sang songs from their new album, “Monkeys for Nothin’ and Chimps for Free,” and held true to their original style of angry breakup songs and lyrics about selling out to major record labels.
The band members were not afraid to talk about drug use and the perks of the rock and roll lifestyle.
“We were huffing shoe polish backstage, because it lasts longer than glue,” said vocalist and trumpet player Scott Klopfenstein.
The crowd didn’t have to concentrate too hard to sing along with the repetitive lyrics and similar song tempo. It didn’t take much effort to sing while trying to stay on two feet, even for those who find multitasking difficult.
The set ended with a song medley of AC/DC, Metallica and other rock favorites for the crowd to sing along with.
The cool night air was a comfortable relief after pounding into sticky strangers. While some audience members panted and dragged their feet in exhaustion, many said it was a fantastic show.
“I have been a fan for 11 or 12 years, and this is the best show I have seen of theirs yet,” said Joey Murphy, 29. “Anyone who had an opportunity to go and missed it is so milquetoast.”
For more information on Reel Big Fish, visit their Web site.
Contact Campus Press Staff Reporter Carolyn Michaels at Carolyn.michaels@colorado.edu.
