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Bats Day Gone Cryin’ Live at the Observatory
May 5th, 2026 Review by Kevin Gomez
Saturday was such a gloomy, rainy day in Orange County. In other words, the absolute most perfect weather for the first ever Bats Day Gone Cryin at the Observatory in Santa Ana. A concert offshoot of Bats Day in the Fun Park, the event was founded by Noah Korda, a graphic artist and club promoter in Los Angeles.
A gathering of goths assembled for a sold-out Saturday evening with vendors selling everything from shirts to pins and patches, toys to taxidermy artwork, filled up the outdoor patio and the Constellation Room.
The Aquabats were listed as “The Aquabats Tribute to the Cure.” This is my third time seeing them do this special type of performance, and each time just seems to get better. You might think that they would do ska-punk, sped up versions of the classic songs from the Cure, but instead it’s a note-for-note reproduction of the legendary goth band. And it’s terrific.
As the band took the stage, sounds of thunder and rain played on the PA. Footage of trees played on the screen behind them as they lulled into “A Forest.” A lonely tree devoid of all leaves flanked each side of the drum riser.
Fans flashed The Aquabats hand symbol as MC Bat Commander gave his best Robert Smith impression with a meek, “Thank you.” If the crowd was a bit timid to start, they came alive for “In Between Days.” The band then launched into a very fun version of “Boys Don’t Cry.”
The lights on the barren trees lit up red as The Aquabats went into “Friday I’m in Love.” In between songs Bat Commander couldn’t help himself from laughing at how absurd all of this was. Absurd and amazing. Crash McLarson made his triumphant return, as he was out for a few months following knee surgery.
McLarson laid down the thick baseline that was the foundation for “Lullaby.” Bat Commander introduced “A Night Like This” as, “a song we’ve never played before,” which featured a sick sax solo from Jimmy the Robot.
The band played the intro of The Aquabats’ song “Pool Party” before Bat Commander announced, “That’s enough of that.” Instead, they went into “Love Cats” joined by three giant kitten furries, one of whom took off his head and played a trumpet solo. They played my favorite, “Close to You,” before Bat Commander said, “We hope this next song will unite all the goths. It’s a dark world, but this one can bring us all together,” and they played Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart.” They closed their 60-minute set with “Just Like Heaven” as giant balloons were passed out.
DJ Rose Knows spun the music in between sets. She featured a goth-inspired setlist that brought out “Policy of Truth,” “Bizarre Love Triangle,” and more. Before the headliner, Korda came out and thanked everyone for this memorable night. “We’ve been doing this for 27 years,” he told the crowd. He then welcomed the Sweet and Tender Hooligans.
The band is led by the “Mexican Morrissey,” Jose Maldonado, who was also recently announced as the new lead singer for Oingo Boingo Former Members. I guess we can also call him the Mexican Danny Elfman. The band opened with the Morrissey gangster ballad, “First of the Gang to Die.” For “You’re the One for Me, Fatty” Maldonado got on his knees and held his mic by its stand next to David Collett to broadcast his guitar solo.
Maldonado was all dramatic interpretive dance for “November Spawned a Monster.” He introduced “I Want the One I Can’t Have,” as something we can all relate to and renamed it, “the goth I can’t have.” At one point Maldonado put both his hands behind his head and began gyrating his hips before lucky fans in the front row. This must have been what people felt watching Elvis for the first time in the ‘50s.
Maldonado said he had a message for all the young ones in attendance: “Your parents did a very good job. You know all the words to these songs and you’re dancing just like we were dancing when we were kids.” His second message was, “Don’t shoplift,” leading them to “Shoplifters of the World Unite.”
He announced that in celebration of the 40th anniversary of The Smiths album, “The Queen Is Dead,” Sweet and Tender Hooligans will be playing the iconic album in its entirety on June 5th at the Observatory North Park in San Diego, and June 6th at the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles.
Art Barrios and Collett kicked into the ska upbeat guitar of “This Charming Man,” as Danny Garcia kept an impressive drumbeat. Maldonado said the Irish were very much like the Mexicans, as both immigrated from other countries and both faced discrimination. He introduced “Irish Blood, English Heart,” by saying, “Mexican blood, American Heart.” They crushed “Ask,” “Suedehead,” and closed out their set with “Bigmouth Strikes Again.”
The band came back for a single song encore. Maldonado asked the crowd, “How many Smiths fans does it take to change a lightbulb?” Fans shouted out numerous answers, but Maldonado replied, “Nope. There is, ‘There is a Light That Never Goes Out.’”
Maldonado tossed various roses in the crowd (two of which I caught), and then finally shed his shirt once and for all. One by one the band left the stage, leaving us one last glance at Garcia for what was a wonderful drum session. Even the saddest goth kids were all smiles by the end of the inaugural Bats Day Gone Cryin’.
SHOW PHOTO GALLERY
by Steve Allen Photography
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