A Sunday Night in Minneapolis..about 20 years ago
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I cut my concertgoing teeth at First Avenue in Minneapolis, from 82-90. A lot of my favorite bands were established in that place and my top 10 shows of all time are almost all from 1rst Ave. I heard there was a huge storm in the twin cities this week and that reminded me of a Fishbone show I caught, on a Sunday night, in the winter of '86.I was thinking of not going to the show because of a couple feet of snow and 20 below temps. I also knew my job as a funiture mover lurked just a few hours away on Monday morning. But at that point I considered myself a true Minnesotan and a little weather wasn't going to stop me.I guess the true Minnesotans were probably smart enough not to show up, because there were probably 200 folks at First Ave. that night, max. Who knows what the guys in the band thought, when they saw that people actually showed up, but they rewarded us idiots with the most high energy, heartfelt, rockin', skankin' show we would probably ever witness. For all I know the band makes this connection every night, but for me this one was special. It made me a fan for life, I will say that, but it did make subsequent albums pale in comparison.I've purchased 'em all over the years, but for my money, even though there were good songs, they never came close to capturing the schizo/punk/funk/ska/Cab Callowayvibe of the live show.Twenty plus years from that cold night in Minneapolis the script has flipped a bit. I now work for the distributor that is selling their new record, Still Stuck In Your Throat.It has been such a long time between records for them I didn't know what to expect, but I am pleased to report, the new record is solid. To these ears it is the best representation of their live show ever waxed. A song like, Party With Saddam, combines humor,politics,sex,guitars,irony,sax,ska, bass,drums,theatre, and that vibe, the same stew that thrilled me on an arctic Minnesota night 20 years ago. As long as my job lasts (and that is a question nowadays) at least I have something to sell that I can be proud of. It ain't always like that, believe me. I probably won't make a habit of it, but it's nice to look forward to Monday, sometimes.
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