May 14 1999 @ Boulder Theater Boulder, CO

Sorry this review is coming so late but I've had a really hectic week since the show in Boulder.

Samm and I got there and talked to Angelo briefly. Shortly into our conversation he said, "Oh, you guys just reminded me that I need to put Dave on the guest list!" and he was off! The first band to go on was called Pimp or Die. They were pretty good, but very mellow. Not quite what I would have in mind for an opening band. They were followed by Speaker. hmmm....Jerry Garcia does 90's rock??? Speaker was fairly amusing and a little more energetic (but not as good!) as Pimp or Die.

Fishbone came on to a fairly decent sized crowd (especially considering the venue was quite a bit larger than what they usually play in Colorado and it was graduation night at the University of Colorado). The songs they played (sorry, I can't remember the order) were:

Ugly Party at Ground Zero Lyin' Ass Bitch VTTLOTFDGF When Problems Arise A Selection Cholly I Wish I Had A Date Give It Up Ma and Pa Question of Life Bonin' in the Boneyard Housework Behavior control Technician Pray to the Junkiemaker Sunless Saturday Swim Porperites of Propaganda Lemon Meringue Beergut Skankin' to the Beat Just Allow

Also, Angelo did Jah Jah on the Telephone to start the encore.

They were great, of course. Angelo, Norwood and Walt are really holding everything together. Spacey T had a good show, John McNight we couldn't hear (except for when he would play the trombone). Not being able to hear the keys was the only sound problem all night. Actually, the sound system in the Boulder Theater is a little bit smaller than other clubs, so they couldn't turn it up quite as loud. That made for outstanding sound quality! Also, Angelo and Walt were using cordless mics for the first time since Lollapaloser. Ok, the new drummer is John Stewart. NO not the john Stewart from the Daily Show!! ;-) He was definitely talented, but....Angelo and Walt had to give him a lot of visual cues (probably on 14 of the 22 songs) which wasn't' a big deal. He did have difficulty with a lot of the transitions and tempo changes and got lost on a number of occasions. The low point of the night for the new drummer was during Beergut Angelo told the sound guy to turn down the drums. Samm and I both noted that he looked scared, but that he also tried really damn hard and also came out and signed autographs and mingled right after the show.

Fishbone remains one of the best live acts. I don't think I've heard them play any song the same way as I've seen in other shows (9 of them since '91). As a fan, I really appreciate that! It reminds me a lot of what Zappa did with his songs (constantly messing with the lyrics, tempo, style, etc. A lot of times right on the spot) and is a real testament to their musicianship.

Blake

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