I don’t get to say this very often but June 25th was a show I was really looking forward too. I get to sleep in my own bed next to a beautiful woman and walk 5 blocks to the venue. Also, something special about this show is that this is going to be double digits for the number of times I have gotten to see ska legends Reel Big Fish. Leaving and walking to the venue, I had this horrible fear that I was going to be 700th in line to see the show but to my surprise I was in the first 10 people. Now keep in mind, Omaha is a C market and we are for good reason. Unless you are 311, Five Finger Death Punch, or another band that has numbers in your name, the chances of you drawing a huge show gets lower and lower by the day. One good thing about Omaha is the kids who still go to shows are so deeply in love with them that it makes up for the low turnout. Also on the good side, Omaha does have a variety of flavors when it comes to what people like to listen to. Just have to work through the new metal stage of the year. So Adam, enjoy!
This on paper looked to be an amazing show and it didn’t disappoint. The opener was on totally point. Feeding to the funky-popper side of the crowd, Ballyhoo! got the party started. Then Less than Jake hit the stage and let me tell you they were marvelous as always. Every time I see them, I get a new appreciation for them. Stage presence aside, they are a truly amazing band and I would feel bad for any band that had to follow them. But it wasn’t just any band that was up to the task of doing this, it was the fellas in Reel Big Fish.
They hit the stage strong as always but they hit it with an uncharacteristically slow start. Now let me be clear, when I say a slow start for RBF is a huge opening number for most other bands, just for them they really seemed to be pacing themselves this show. But that didn’t last. It only took them a matter of 2 or 3 songs to hit their stride. They filled in the gaps of the floor that people were using to stand with skanking feet and jumping around. Now a sign of an amazing punk or ska show is that if you can get this grumpy fat kid dancing, you are doing an astounding job.
RBF’s Front man Aaron Barret had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand, directing the show like a maestro working with the best symphony in the world. His guitar was strong and vocals on point, as well as the rest of the band being solid in the pocket and executing their craft to perfection. Playing many songs from the best of the band’s catalog, Reel Big Fish put on a truly wonderful show. Like I said before, this was kind of a special show for me as well. It was the 10th time I have gotten to see RBF. From city streets to major festivals, Reel Big Fish always brings it.
For more info on Reel Big Fish, check out their website www.reel-big-fish.com for merch and tour dates so you can see them for yourselves.
