Lately I've been making more of an effort to see bands I've never seen before and bands I haven't seen in decades. Save Ferris are kind of both. Technically I did see them at the Warped Tour way back in 1998, but I was too snobby to appreciate the SoCol ska legends at the time. Plus, they played before the Deftones, and Deftones fans were extra meatheady that day. In recent years, I've grown to appreciate Save Ferris more and realized that the only reason they're more "mainstream" than their peers is because Monique Powell is a better singer than most other 90's ska bands. Once I saw that I could finally get a do-over up at Portsmouth at The Music Hall's outdoor stage, I jumped at the chance.
Save Ferris opened up with their latest single, "Lights Out in the Reptile House." It can always be a bit dicey when a band that's been around for well over twenty years plays new songs, but "Lights Out at the Reptile House" is a solid song that stands right up with their classics, and set the mood for the rest of the evening. The Live Under the Arch stage is a bit strange, with seats up front, and a few cocktail tables right in front of the stage. (To say nothing of the fact that non-paying customers could stand in the alley right next to those who paid $50 for their seats...) Powell convinced a good chunk of the crowd to ignore the seats and come up front to dance, it being a ska show and all. Someone associated with the band moved some of the tables aside to make more room, which just added to the party atmosphere.
And who remembered just how many classic songs Save Ferris has? "Spam" and "Under 21" were absolute bangers that the crowd erupted for. Powell just has that engaging "it" factor that doesn't allow you to hang on every word, even between songs. The band broke out a pair of covers for the show, including The Isley Brothers' "Shout" and their classic cover of "Come On Eileen." (I'm presuming the venue's no swearing rule shelved their version of The Dead Kennedy's "Too Drunk to Fuck" that's been played on this tour...)
Some artists are great for life changing shows, or ones where you stroke your chin while appreciating artistry. But a good ska show is just one where you stop being self conscious and get over yourself to just dance. That's exactly what Save Ferris provided, and there are a lot worse ways to enjoy your Saturday night.
Baltimore's Kings of the Wild Things opened the evening with a solid set of pop punk and emo. They played with tremendous energy and were having more fun than I've seen a band have in ages. I did learn how a band could make me feel ancient throughout their set. They played a cover of Bowling for Soup's "1985," closed with a cover of Blink-182's "Dammit," and played songs inspired by Shrek and Up. Great band, but damn... I'm old.
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