|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Live at The Glass House Pomona
December 12, 2024 Review by Kim Scirotto
For 30 years, The Aquabats have answered the call of their Cadets to rock the house with their high-energy “Super Show” and did not fail to deliver at The Glass House in Pomona!
The supergroup covered their dynamic and timeless discography over two nights, with Friday focusing on the first 15 years and Saturday covering on the last 15 years. An appropriate celebration for the heroic band. The Aquabats also called upon GOGO13 and Left Alone to help them celebrate their career-spanning retrospective weekend.
As the doors opened to the concert hall on Saturday night, a bevy of Cadets entered– some with their mini-Cadets in tow, and many adorned with the classic rash-guard and insignia. Some fans secured their spots near the stage to see their heroes experience the latter half of their energetic catalog, while others headed to the merchandise tables to stock up on special edition shirts and the usual suspects.
Once the clock struck eight, GOGO13 took to the stage and instantly had the crowd dancing to their opening number, “¡Es Ploded!” Throughout the rest of their set, the traditional ska band led by Parker Jacobs brought an infectious energy to the evening with tracks like the kooky “Monster” and the cheerful “Big Red Cup.”
Their track “Cereal” included the stylings of talented cereal box players that added a nutritional and delightful rhythm to the lively song, and closed with mini cereal boxes tossed into the enthusiastic crowd.
The groovy “Curly Locks” created a tender interlude to the vivacious set when Parker informed the crowd that the song was a heartfelt tribute to his daughter. GOGO13 finished with “Espionage” and the ska-punk-infused “Idiot Box,” which featured family and friends to close out the exciting set.
Up next on the docket was the punk band hailing from the SoCal region, Left Alone. Elvis Cortez led the boisterous band with their opening number, “Sad Story.”
The introspective track was an excellent choice to lead with for its catchy rhythm juxtaposed against the serious lyrics. The upbeat “Te Quiero Ver” also had the audience grooving to the beat, setting the trend for their energetic set.
Their new song, “Weekend,” was received very well and continued to keep the energy high. The band finished out the set with “Mile High.”
After a brief intermission with bubbling suspense, the house lights dimmed, leaving the audience shrouded in darkness with the only source of light emitting from the screen onstage.
The infamous video montage that kicks off every show began, but for this celebration spanned the past 30 years of footage.
Thunderous applause and cheers began to erupt with accompanying Aquabats hand signals when the crowd realized that their heroes had come to save the day!
The heroic team ran to the stage wearing their legendary bright blue rash guard, anti-negativity helmet, and power belt!
The leader of the band, Christian Jacobs, known as MC Bat Commander, appeared on the stage with a torch before diving into the “The Super Show Theme,” which introduced the band members along with footage from “The Aquabats Super Show.”
The zany “Doing Science” was next with Parker Jacobs as “The Scientist,” which sent the audience into an uproar. Pulling from their “Super Show” soundtrack and keeping up with the tradition of costumed characters visiting the stage, the super team sang “Karate Body” with accompanying karate animals battling (and even grooving) to the Devo-esque song.
MC Bat Commander addressed the audience about surpassing the Friday night show’s greatness “with karate.” He continued that the mini Cadets (the kids) had been voting on the songs included their set lists for the past 15 years, which was such a wholesome fact to learn as newer Cadet myself. Jacobs introduced the next song, “Whatever Forever,” from their “greatest album ever made,” “Finally!” which was an excellent representation of friends always being there for each other.
The band decided to shift to a softer tone and played the ballad “Burger Rain!” — a love letter to burgers. Watching as everyone swayed from side to side while large pieces of pizzas sailed above the crowd proved to be a mesmerizing sight.
To stay within the food and soda topic, Jacobs asked how Crash McLarson felt about Diet Coke, and he responded, “little chocolate doughnuts and Diet Coke” were his favorites.
The band then performed a fantastic Diet Coke parody of Van Halen’s “Jump.” Dr. Space Zombie then greeted us while the band performed the song of the same name and proceeded to fight the supergroup, which ended in a victory for The Aquabats!
With their new album “Finally!” out, they had the chance to cover some tracks that had never been played live. Both the Commander and Crash McLarson introduced the song “Alegbros” and the audience’s reaction to the new song was incredibly positive and increased exponentially!
The premiere of the punk-infused “Where is Walter Fang?” saw a beast stalking the members of the supergroup on stage while the audience formed a mosh pit vortex to the heavy tempo. Once the inflatable sharks were tossed into the crowd and the screen displayed the commander in the water, the beginning notes of “Shark Fighter” had the floor vibrating from the enthusiastic audience.
To close out the night, the band debuted “Finally!” signaling that the celebration was coming to an end and exited the stage, but returned for an encore to perform a fan favorite, “Super Rad!”
For an official end to the night, the Bats performed “Pool Party” with family, friends, and their crazy cast of characters! Beach balls and other inflatable props from earlier in the night flew through the air while The MC Bat Commander jumped into the audience to rock with them.
It was a legendary weekend for a legendary band. With such a lively history of great music, crime-fighting, and iconic “Super Shows,” it is no surprise that Cadets of all ages, backgrounds, and from all parts of the country come to see this unique group and expand The Aquabats family!
SHOW PHOTO GALLERY
by Todd Markel Rock Images
<<SWIPE TO VIEW PHOTO GALLERY>>
TO FOLLOW
SID 241216 | TRACI TURNER | EDITOR
