That show is still the single best, most powerful musical performance I have ever witnessed in my life,
and I cannot imagine it ever being topped. The band was completely on FIRE, opening with Freddie's Dead
and Angelo in the crowd before he sang the first word, and throughout the show -- he really, truly did
somehow climb up to a balcony, at least 20-25 feet over the floor, and jump down into the loving crowd
which caught him and brought him back up to the stage (I've always wondered if that show was the one Vernon
Reid refers to in his liner notes for the FB 101 thing). I also remember Norwood introducing one song
(Subliminal Fascism? Behavior Control? unfortunately can't remember ....) with an off-the-cuff but
completely inspired lecture about the importance of being true to yourself, and not believing everything
you're told (specific reference was to the "war" with Iraq, and the American people not being told the truth
about the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis killed by our "smart" bombs).

This was during that short period of time when Fishbone not only WANTED to change the world (that's
always been true), but when it seemed like maybe actually they WOULD.

OK, I'm going to stop before I get too emotional ...

Steve

This show was absolutely incredible. Fishbone was red hot! I was 18, a freshman in college and I actually had not listened to Fishbone much before this show. I only owned the first EP on vinyl and figured if they played Party at Ground Zero that would be great. I was really into Primus and the way I always describe this show is... I went to the Paladium to see Primus and came out a Fishbone soldier! After this show I remember hitting Tower Records in Northridge looking for the entire catalog! I've long forgotten Primus for the most part, but still love Fishbone. Since this show I've seen them 6 more times, but this was Fishbone on top of their game all the way with a huge audience who was in love with them. I've enjoyed every show I've seen them since, but all the other shows I've seen are the newer incarnations with less enthusiastic crowds.

As the previous poster mentioned, Angelo was jumping from the balcony and spent most of the show in the crowd. Of course, this was the classic line up too. I have seen well over 100 shows in my life and this easily ranks in my top 3 all time. At this point in my life I was a totally innocent kid who was still "straight edge" for the most part. I needed no mental enhancements for this show though. It was completely unbelievable stone cold sober! I'd say it is number 2 all time on my list just after Sonic Youth 95 in Atlanta.

See my other Fishbone reviews under Boulder CO 96 and 97, Huntsville AL 96, Atlanta 00 and 01, Hilton Head SC 2005. I've also seen a "Nuttmeg" festival of some kind in Denver around 97 and a MaddVibe show in Athens GA 2000, but neither of these are on the gig list here.