[ATTENDED: August 19, 2023] Fishbone
I first heard of Fishbone from John Cusack wearing a Fishbone shirt in Say Anything (1989).
And it wasn’t just a random T-shirt
[Cusack didn’t like the boom-box scene]. In a last-ditch effort to convince his star to try the scene the way it was written, Crowe told Cusack that the song blaring from the stereo would be by the band Fishbone. At the time, the actor was a big fan of the ska group, and their music’s inclusion helped persuade him to give it a try. The shot worked, but the scene was still a long way from reaching its legendary form.
(While sources all agree that a Fishbone song was played from the boombox on-set, which song was used seems up for debate. AFI claims it was “Question of Life, Mental Floss says it was “Turn the Other Way” and Uproxx believes it to have been ”Bonin’ in the Boneyard.” For the sake of argument, we’ll trust Crowe, who said that “Party at Ground Zero” was the song used.)
Anyhow, I liked the logo and decided to check out the band (or at least that’s how I remember it). I loved their first EP with it’s funky dancey, naughty songs. And Truth and Soul followed to great success. Then it was their terrific The Reality of My Surroundings which sold me for good on Fishbone. They even had a pretty big hit with the very heavy “Swim” from the following album. So I’d been following Fishbone for about five years and hen kind of lost touch with them.
But those albums received a ton of play in those years and I never forgot how much I loved them.
So when I saw that they were still together (or reunited or whatever) I was surprised and delighted. There’s been a ton of lineup shuffling over the years, but as of this concert, four of the six original members are now back (or still) in the band.
- Angelo Moore – vocals, saxophones, theremin, percussion (1979–present)
- John Norwood Fisher – bass, vocals (1979–present)
- “Dirty” Walter A. Kibby II – trumpet, vocals (1979–2003, 2010–present)
- Christopher Dowd – keyboards, trombone, vocals (1979–1994, 2018–present)
Two of the other original members were with them again until recently
- Philip “Fish” Fisher – drums (1979–1998, 2016–2021)
- Kendall Jones – guitar, vocals (1979–1993, 2020–this was actually just one show, so not really “with them,” I guess)
The other two guys on stage were
- John Steward – drums (1999–2016, 2021–present)
- Mark Phillips – guitar (2019–present)
There on stage was the iconic Fishbone logo (which I realized was set up as a kind of barrier where Angelo Moore kept all of his gear and would sneak back to grab–the new sax or the Theremin). The band came out followed shortly after by Angelo in a fantastic pink suit and one of the largest baritone saxs I have ever seen.
They started with “Hide Behind My Glasses,” a deep cut that I knew, but not a big hit by any means. Up next was either “Cholly” or “Fat Chicks” It was the song “Cholly” but with slightly different lyrics. A weird choice in 2023. But the melody is great. It was followed by “I Wish I Had a Date” which I liked to think that it was because of the previous song that he couldn’t get one.
After these three fairly deep cuts, they played two new songs. The super catchy ska song “All We Have is Now” is as good as any of their older mellower songs. It was followed by the terrific “Estranged Fruit” which samples lyrics from “Strange Fruit” and updated the message for the George Floyd era.
Then it was back to old rockers. “Alcoholic” is also pretty insensitive but boy it rocks. And they threw in a heavy stomping few verses of “Iron Man” in the middle which was fun.
I love the first three Fishbone albums and their earlier EP. So I have about 20 songs that I would have loved to hear. They hadn’t played any yet. But it was still okay, because it was awesome to see Walter Kibby with his tiny horn and when I realized that the guy on keys who didn’t look like he could have been old enough to be in the original Fishbone was indeed Chris Dowd. He sang/screamed Iron Man. He was very funny during the rest of “Alcoholic” and was the lead vocals in “I Don’t Care.”
They finally played a song I really wanted to hear when they introduced “Ma and Pa.” Of all the songs they might have played for some reason I assumed this was the least likely for them to play. And, looking at other shows on this tour, the setlist is largely pretty varied and they don’t often play Ma & Pa.
They played a wild and frenetic “‘Simon Says’ The Kingpin” which I recognized but didn’t have enough time in the 90 seconds to exactly realize what it was.
Then they slowly introduced the first of two songs that I think they always play. Two songs that I was really hoping to hear.
“Bonin’ in the Boneyard” got everyone moving. And I was thrilled that we got to see John Norwood Fisher played the “funky ass bass.” His bass was dynamite throughout the show and I wished that I was closer to his side of the stage–although Angelo did come over to out side more often.
Noto to dismiss the two “new” guys. They were both great–the guitars were perfect and the drums were always spot on especially during the final song “Party at Ground Zero” where there’s lots of little drum moments that were done exactly right.
i was thrilled to hear “Ground Zero.” It was a great ending to the set.
A few nights earlier, Fishbone headlined the Ardmore Music Hall and I realize that I 100% should have gone to that show instead because they played 23 songs including some that I would have loved to hear.
Sunless Saurday
A Selection
Subliminal Fascism
Lyin’ Ass Bitch [rude song, yes, but so so good]
Servitude
Everyday Sunshine
and Freddy’s Dead.
But I’m happy with the song that I did get to see (even though my favorite album is The Reality of My Surroundings and they didn’t play anything from it or the fantastic follow up Give a Monkey a Brain) and this has clearly inspired me to see them if they ever come back again as a headliner.
SETLIST
- Hide Behind My Glasses ⇑
- Cholly ⊗
- I Wish I Had a Date ⊗
- All We Have Is Now ∇
- Estranged Fruit ∇
- Alcoholic ©
- Ma & Pa §
- I Don’t Care ∇
- ‘Simon Says’ The Kingpin ⊗
- Bonin’ in the Boneyard §
- Party at Ground Zero £
∇ Fishbone EP (2023)
© Chim Chim’s Badass Revenge (1996)
⇑ Set the Booty Up Right (1990)
§ Truth and Soul (1987)
⊗ In Your Face (1986)
£ Fishbone EP (1985)
I Just Read About That... 
Leave a comment