Ska ‘Snow Ball*
By Patrick Miner
Music Critic
The first annual “Edge Snow
Ball” Friday at Omaha’s Mancuso
Hall represented the turn music is
taking, with two ska/punk bands
reigning supreme and two alternative
quartets getting no love from the
crowd.
Of die five bands on the bill, Reel
Big Fish and Buck-O-Nine were
good, and Bloodhound Gang was
bad; and as for Creed and Blue Moon
Ghetto, things were just plain ugly.
After playing the Reader/Surge
Games, as well as the Ranch Bowl
twice, Reel Big Fish returned to
Omaha for the fourth time this year,
and the Orange County band didn’t
disappoint.
Reel Big Fish closed the show,
opening with “Everything Sucks,”
the first single from the band’s Mojo
Records debut, “Turn the Radio Off.”
Next, the crew got everybody “doing
die fish” with ‘Trendy,” and the gui
tar solo from “All I Want Is More”
left the crowd satisfied.
Other highlights included many
songs not on “Itira the Radio Off.”
The band played tracks such as
“Why Do All Girls Thinks They’re
Fat” and “I’m Cool,” from the EP
“Keep Your Receipt”; and “In The
Pit,” and “Take On Me,” from the 7”
“Teen Beef.”
Reel Big Fish put the finishing
touches on the show with its latest
single, “She Has A Girlfriend Now,”
and got the crowd bouncing in the
middle of “Nothin’.” It then closed in
usual fashion with “Sell Out.”
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Reel Big Fish and Buck-O-Nine good ...for Creed and
Blue Moon Ghetto, things were just plain ugly.”
Buck-O-Nine, the other ska/punk
band to appear, proved to be just as
exciting. However, instead of play
ing right before Reel Big Fish, Buck
O-Nine, followed Blue Moon
Ghetto, and were forced to play a
short set.
The San Diego-based septet was
the only band not to finish with a
breaking single, as it concluded its
set with the title track from its 1995
Taang! Records album, “Barfly.”
However, the eight other songs of the
nine-song set were from the band’s
most recent record, “Twenty Eight
Teeth.”
The setlist included “Round
Kid,” “Jennifer’s Cold” - one of the
band’s funniest tracks - and its latest
single, “My Town,” which featured a
great solo by trombonist Dan Albert.
Bloodhound Gang, the third of
the five bands, followed Buck-O
Nine and played the worst set of the
night, spanning just five songs. The
band’s performance was overshad
owed by continual problems setting
up the equipment.
The turntables were turned up
too loud for “Why’s Everybody
Always Picking On Me,” and they
were not working at all during “Kiss
Me Where It Smells Funny.” It was
comical, though, as Bloodhound
Gang relied on leadman Jimmy Pop
killing time and the band’s musical
ability to get through the set. Neither
of these factors were in Bloodhound
Gang’s favor.
Jimmy Pop proved about as
funny as television boob Bob Saget,
and the band played more covers
than a bad college band. Ripping off
Presidents of the United States of
America, Prince, Blur, Busta
Rhymes and Coolio, just to name a
few, didn’t allow the set to run any
more smoothly. Finishing with “Fire
Water Burn,” Pop named the late
Michael Hutchence (of INXS) as the
Antichrist, and Bloodhound Gang
exited the stage.
The greatest travesty of the night,
though, was the fact that Creed was
obviously out of place in filling
Buck-O-Nine’s deserved position as
the fourth band.
Despite boos for having a style
five years too late, Creed burrowed
though its set, with only a few rows
of fans getting into the music. The
band offered tracks from its d&rat,1
“My Own Prison,” including “Only
in America,” “Illusion” and the title
track to close the set
Featuring an obscene amount of
guitari distortion, Creed left few
impressed. While Mancuso Hall pre
sented poor acoustics for every band,
it hurt Creed the most because it was
hard for die audience to make out a
single chord. ^ I <
Omaha band Blue Moon Ghetto
opened the show and played cuts
mainly from its latest release,'l“lme
Messengers Have Gone,” including
the closer, “Geronimo.” The band
played an inspired set, as it rarely
gets to play at venues the size of
Mancuso. However, the set mostly
was delivered in front of a crowd just
starting to trickle in.
Compared with “Edgefest ’97,”
“Edge Snow Ball” was a success
because the show had better bands.
With luck, the winter wonder wop’t
take the same dive as its autumn pre-1
decessor by starting off strong and
getting worse and worse bands every
year.
Mf£fM
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