Apr 09 1999 @ Fitzgerald´s Houston, TX

I wasn't sure what to expect from the new lineup, as the last couple of 'bone shows didn't live up to the craziness of their live set back in the day, but Fishbone definitely put the smack down on the audience on this particular night. First off, Workhorse Movement and Slightly Stoopid opened up ? Workhorse Movement was yet another boring rap-metal "pimp rock" hybrid...ugh. As for Slightly Stoopid...well, they were more like Slightly Sublime. Their Jamiacan dancehall style was okay for the first song or two, but they played far too much music that sounded the same for far too long. Of course, the requisite uptempo punk songs were thrown in there, as well, but they too seemed contrived. Good background music, but only if it's way, way in the background. Fishbone went on pretty late, but that was cool; it reminded me of the shows of old. The near -capacity crowd was all wound up, and as soon as the band launched into "Party At Ground Zero", it was madness. Everyone was dancing, gyrating, shakin' ass...generally having a good time. The new members of the band (John Steward on drums, Spacey T on guitar, and John McKnight on everything else) definitely had their stuff together. Fishbone as a unit seems to have acclimated to its new lineup, and the jams were kicked out. The only noticeable difference is that these guys lack the crazy stage presence that Chris Dowd, John Bigham and Fish posessed, but that could be just a result of them wanting to settle in to their new roles before becoming creative. As such, the newbies looked pretty normal compared to Norwood (dressed in a bedsheet with one huge dread sticking straight up from his head), Dirty Walt (funkin' it up all over the place), and Angelo Moore, King Of The Freaks, who was, well, being good old Angelo. The positivity radiated was amazing. Well over two hours of crowd surfing, a good pit vibe, everybody having a great time, and the band sounded amazing (Spacey T's guitar could have been turned up, though). The set list was a great mix of old and new, from classic 'bone, up to the new album, Psychotic Friends Nuttwerx. They even played "Swim", and it rocked, leading me to believe that they haven't given up their metal side just yet. It was the most fun I've had at a show in a very long time, and I could tell by the vibe in the crowd that most of them would have said the same thing. Welcome back, Fishbone. (Mel House) http://www.spacecityrock.com/issue3/live-fishbone1.html

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