Concert Review

Friday night concluded Ska Week with a trip down to Urbana-Champaign to see Reel Big Fish, Streetlight Manifesto, Suburban Legends, and Westbound Train at the Canopy Club. Overall the concert was amazing, and might possibly be the best concert I've ever been to.

The show opened with Westbound Train who are steadily rising in my eyes. These guys put on a great set, and the crowd was much more receptive than the last time I saw them, despite not really knowing their work. Their live show is great because they are all such good musicians, and they had great horn solos that you wouldn't expect at a ska show.

Suburban Legends followed and put on another great set, though their style is markedly different from Westbound's. Suburban Legends put on a show that is all about on stage entertainment. They have catchy songs, choreographed dances, and lots of energy. Their set was better than I expected considering they have had a lot of line up changes recently. Their former singer left the band, and one of their horn players died tragically in a motorcycle accident. But they're back on the road and still playing well. Their new singer isn't as talented as their old singer, and they have a smaller horn section now which makes their on stage dancing look less impressive. The crowd loved them nonetheless and they finished strong.

Streetlight Manifesto was the third band, and by far the most energetic. The crowd went nuts for them, and the pit was out of control (an elbow to the jaw will be my lasting memory). They opened with a powerful horn arrangement that then morphed into their opening song. Streetlight was fast and powerful and the crowd was insane for them, just as expected.

Finally Reel Big Fish came on to close the night. These guys have been around for a while now, and their live show was evidence of it. It was very polished, and their transitions were great. Lead singer Aaron and backup singer/trumpet/guitar Scott have great vocals that compliment each other well, and both do fine singing live. Reel Big Fish played for over an hour and a half with encore, and almost outlasted a crowd. I've never been to a concert before where the crowd was exhausted to the point of not hardly even being able to dance or jump around. But the crowd stuck with it, and were rewarded as they closed with one of their best songs, Sell Out.

So if you can't tell already, I had a great time at the show. All the bands played great sets, the crowd was energetic and fun, and even the venue was really nice. I give the Canopy Club a great rating for providing free water for people, something I've never seen before.

After the show we peeled off our soaking wet shirts and hit the road. Despite ringing ears, sore bodies, and a 2+ hour car ride ahead of us, we knew that it had been a great night.