The Aquabats Return to Boston (Finally): 6/17/04, AxisJun 20 '04 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line The Aquabats returned to Boston and gave an energetic and extremely F-U-N performance. The Aquabats are lucky they put on such a fun and smile inducing show...otherwise, after a 4 and a half year wait I might not have been so loyal and willing to hold out hope that they eventually would come east of Chicago and back to my home city of Boston. If they were not touring for fear of low attendance, they needn't have worried. Axis was nearly sold out this past Thursday night, full of Aquabat fans who for most this was the first time seeing the ska-punk-new wave superheroes. But as good as the show was, it didn't start out that way. The first of two opening acts on the announced bill was Lederhosen Lucille. I thought "goofy name," and figured they were a goofy ska band. Boy was I way off. Lederhosen Lucille is a one gal band. Playing synthesizer, in a Swedish pigtail wig and yes, lederhosen, Lederhosen Lucille was quite possibly the most horrific opening act I've ever sat through. Maybe I just didn't get the joke (the crowd seemed to dig her), but it was horrible. It was as if I was watching the child of a three way between Weird Al Yankovic, Sven Hoek (anyone who gets the Sven Hoek reference rules in my book), and when Jaime Lee Curtis' character in Trading Places is on the train pretending to be a Swedish girl. "Pleased to get the Swedish meatballs down?" As far as I was concerned, Lederhosen Lucille was a joke, and not a very funny one at that. The next band up was The Planet Smashers. I'd only heard a couple of songs from this third wave ska group, and I was somewhat intrigued to see them. To me though, they relied on somewhat hokey audience participation gaffes too much, not to mention the fact that because they're one of the few bands that is straight up ska (no punk/hardcore/rock mixed in), too many of the songs began blending in, especially over the last third of their 45 minute set. It was then time for the Aquabats. My girlfriend and I moved over to the other side of the room for their set, hoping to avoid the packed, almost suffocating feeling that had enveloped us, especially during the Planet Smashers set. Unfortunately for us, we didn't realize that the stairs leading to the bar was right behind us, so when the beginning of the show push started, we found ourselves on our as*es pretty quick. Fortunately for us, this resulted in us gaining access to the bottom step, which gave us a really sweet view of the stage. After the hilarious intro video showed on the screen in the back of the stage, the band kicked things off with Super Rad!, and then a trio of songs from their worst album, The Aquabats Vs The Floating Eye of Death. Thankfully, they picked the three best songs from that record: Anti Matter, Lovers of Loving Love, and a rambunctious Giant Robot Birdhead that had everyone counting down on their hands and shouting along in sing-alongs that could only be from extremely devoted fans. Throughout the night, The Bat Commander played up the band's goofy schtick (dressing up as Superheroes, defeating those who threaten "the kids," AKA the fans). The funniest moment of the night may have been when some person's wallet ended up on stage. The poor kid got his a*s ranked on by the Bat Commander ("dude, you have to be the biggest schmuck here"), who found the unlucky fan by reading off his name, and then adding on "he has not a dollar to his name." Only once was the show threatened by one of the Aquabats evil enemies. The White Buffalo held the show hostage with a bomb that looked suspiciously like a water bottle. But the Aquabats saved the day by kicking his a*s with some of the worst (and funniest) fight choreography this writer has ever seen (and I watched pro wrestling for 18 years). The group did a solid job of mixing in tunes from each of their albums, as well as their new EP, Yo! Check Out This Ride, playing the title track and the awful Todd-1 in Space Mountain Land. The biggest sing along was probably for the energetic ska/punk jam Martian Girl, which had the room literally shaking with joy, while lesser known tracks such as Sandy Face and Chemical Bomb, done with Lederhosen Lucille, got good reactions too. Perhaps the most disappointing part of the night lied in what they did not play: no Idiot Box! and no Play Dough. On the bright side, I got a perfect rendition of Red Sweater, probably my favorite Aquabats song. The group closed the regular set with Hello, Good Night, before encoring with Pool Party, which just about left the Axis crowd a sweaty exhausted mess. I had an absolute blast watching this band the other night. If you can accept their schtick and play along, it is absolutely one of the most fun and enjoyable shows you can go see, especially for the $12 ticket price. The Aquabats help remind you that music should, at least some of the time, be fun, and most importantly, be an escape from the job you have, the finals you have to take, or the personal problems you might be having. The band is on tour for another couple of weeks, and if they are to be believed, are going to be launching another tour soon. Hopefully it will only be 4 and a half months in between Boston appearances this time, instead of 4 and a half years. The setlist: Super Rad Anti Matter Lovers of Loving Love Giant Robot Birdhead Sandy Face (Unknown Oingo Boingo cover) Red Sweater Cat With Two Heads Tood-1 in Space Mountain Land Chemical Bomb (with Lederhosen Lucille) Martian Girl Yo Check Out This Ride The Story of Nothing Pizza Day Hello, Good Night Encore: Pool Party  |
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