May 13 2005 @ Beta Bar Tallahassee, FL

So this was my fourth time on the Fishbone boat and I wasnt dissapointed. The Beta Bar sound guys were being shitty, but with all that set aside it was still a great show. I wish Fishbone couldve played till dawn, but what can you do? Our local venue is square. I noticed in particular that Angelo's poetry was exceptional. More so I think than I had seen in past shows. The crowd was going crazy and...

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I got to the show about an hour before doors opened and talked to a couple of the guys for a while. Everyone seemed really beat, and to top things off, everyone (Fishbone plus Mookie) was traveling in one tiny RV. Angelo didn't have the majority of his luggage with him, because the hotel in Mobile, Alabama two days before had neglected to load it into the RV. Thankfully, they were going to deliver it to the Hotel in Birmingham, which was where they were playing the day after this show (hope it all worked out, Angelo!).

I talked to John McKnight and Dre (Pastor) the most out of anyone. John said that they were all extremely beat at that point, and he was kinda worried about how the show would go that night. We also talked about one of his side projects he has going on with Wet Daddy and Dereck from Upstream, seems really cool. Dre remembered me and my fiance' from the week before in Jacksonville, so we just talked about ourselves and the shows that had happened in between. These two guys are some of the coolest and nicest individuals I've ever come in contact with, and I'm really glad I'm keeping in contact with them.

Now on to the show! What John said earlier about being worried about the show maybe not being up to par could not have been farther from the truth. This show was easily one of the best Fishbone performances I've ever seen. The energy and soul being released from the stage was immense. The show could have best been categorized as a "kick you in the nutts" style show, as in the band really didn't slow down the whole night. Just pure energy.These seven guys are tighter than I've maybe ever seen with any of the previous lineups. Plus, it seems that the setlist is changing nightly again as well! I'll go by the show song by song:

1. They All Have Abandoned Their Hopes The show started off with a nice slow tune. It was the only time the band during the night that the band was not jumping around. Played perfectly, and the harmonies sounded awesome. 2. Everyday Sunshine Easily the best version I've ever heard of the song. The horns sounded great, and again I cannot emphasize the vocals and harmonies enough! Pastor Dre was in top dancing form, and Dre G. killed the keys on this tune. 3. Ma & Pa From Padre's "Mama, Papa" chant intro to Angelo diving three times during the song, just classic Fishbone. 4. Ugly Sounded perfect, nothing much more to say. 5. Face Plant (Scorpion Back Pinch) I can't say enough how much I love this song! This is destined to become a Fishbone classic. It's a lethal dose of horn driven power ska. Wet Daddy's rap in the middle of the song is a perfect addition to it. I can't wait to hear the studio version of this. 6. Beergut Knock you off your ass powerful, and Angelo gave my beergut a rub before the song too, haha.They've also managed to make the U.S.S. Fishbone locomotive outro a little longer too. Some pretty intense stuff. 7. Sunless Saturday Sounded perfect. Only Pastor Dre can pull off a nice groove dance to a song like "Sunless Saturday". My hat is off to you, sir. 8. Freddie's Dead Angelo introduced it with "Junkie's Prayer" ala preacher to the congregation style. He also dove twice I believe. 9. Hide Behind my Glasses I haven't heard this live since I was pretty damn young. A perfect addition to the setlist. 10. Alcoholic Angelo introduced it with "Shit". One of my favorite Madd Vibe pieces. 11. Karma Tsunami Ten times better than it ever sounded live on the PFN tours. Rocky was playing fast as hell! 12. Premadawnutt Note to Fishbone: keep this version of the song in the setlist, please! They've reworked the horn parts, and John McKnight even does a trombone solo at the end. 13. Servitude John, Rocky, and Pastor all played guitar, and it sounded heavy and heavenly to my ears. The song was ended with the introducing of the members. All of the guys did great solos, especially McKnight, Norwood, and Wet Daddy. McNutt did a cool sitar sounding solo, Norwood tore the bass up like I haven't seen him do in a while, and Wet Daddy pulled off a long solo that had people stop dancing just to watch him. Encore 14. Cheyenne Star Forever Moore [not played] 15. Lyin' Ass Bitch [not played] 16. Party At Ground Zero [not played]

The club tried to tell them to stop after Karma Tsunami, but they played the last two songs of the set thankfully. All I have to say is that I was one of the big doubters of Fishbone returning after Spacey and Walt left, and I am now not having a doubt that magic should happen with this lineup, without a doubt.

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