Wow - this was amazing. So many old memories came flooding back. I grew up in So Cal in the 80s and saw Fishbone maybe ten times back then. Like you so perfectly capture, they are one of the great live bands of all time. I loved reading about taking your daughter to see them play a matinee and all the great photos you took. Love the artwork she made and gave to Angelo!
I could go on and on, but I'll just mention one show, back in '88 I think, when Public Enemy opened for Fishbone. And opening for both of them were Living Color and Stetsasonic. Insane quadruple bill. I just looked it up, it was Dec. 17, 1988 at the Santa Monica Civic. I was 21. It was a crazy show. I had seen Fishbone probably five times by then, was aware of Angelo's crowd surfing antics.
Prior shows skewed more caucasian -- I think that "Party at Ground Zero" which played on KROQ led Fishbone to have a whiter fan base than most black artists. In addition to the genre blending qualities you describe in your piece. Anyway, when Public Enemy started, the energy in the crowd turned aggressive and fights started breaking out. You could literally see the crowd segregate, with the white folks moving to the back. It was intense. P.E. ended up cutting their set short after trying to calm the crowd several times.
When Fishbone started, the mood was still tense. Angelo talked about the power of music to unite and within a couple songs the party vibe had returned, mostly. But there was no way Angelo was going to crowd surf tonight, right? Wrong. I won't lie that I didn't worry for his safety as he was carried on the hands of the crowd, many of who I was pretty sure had never seen Fishbone before. He even made it to the back, where I was, and when he stood himself up, he was right beside me, sweaty and singing in my face. I was in awe.
When the Fishbone documentary, Everyday Sunshine, was released, Angelo and Norwood appeared at a screening in San Francisco that I attended. They performed a short acoustic set of bass/guitar sax and theremin. Angelo had been obsessed with the theremin and I loved how odd and unexpected the performance was. I wrote about it a long time ago for my pre-Substack blog. You can read it and see a blurry pic here:
I got to know Angelo a little bit in 93 while Fishbone was recording Give a Monkey Brain next door to the coffee shop where I was working. He would perform at the open mic I hosted and blow our tiny little minds
This was incredible. Love that Fishbone played a show for kids! Growing up in PDX, you’d see the odd Fishbone sticker here or there, and it felt like being in on a secret. I finally got to see them in 2017. They played Truth And Soul in its entirety.
P.S. I’m going off of vague memory, but I didn’t think Berbati’s was big enough for a show like that? I remember a very small stage for, like, a solo guitarist.
The fact that your daughter can appreciate both this and Taylor Swift gives me hope for the future of music.
I think bands like this are somehow too good for their own good. Lots of people can’t understand what they are doing.
Wow - this was amazing. So many old memories came flooding back. I grew up in So Cal in the 80s and saw Fishbone maybe ten times back then. Like you so perfectly capture, they are one of the great live bands of all time. I loved reading about taking your daughter to see them play a matinee and all the great photos you took. Love the artwork she made and gave to Angelo!
I could go on and on, but I'll just mention one show, back in '88 I think, when Public Enemy opened for Fishbone. And opening for both of them were Living Color and Stetsasonic. Insane quadruple bill. I just looked it up, it was Dec. 17, 1988 at the Santa Monica Civic. I was 21. It was a crazy show. I had seen Fishbone probably five times by then, was aware of Angelo's crowd surfing antics.
Prior shows skewed more caucasian -- I think that "Party at Ground Zero" which played on KROQ led Fishbone to have a whiter fan base than most black artists. In addition to the genre blending qualities you describe in your piece. Anyway, when Public Enemy started, the energy in the crowd turned aggressive and fights started breaking out. You could literally see the crowd segregate, with the white folks moving to the back. It was intense. P.E. ended up cutting their set short after trying to calm the crowd several times.
When Fishbone started, the mood was still tense. Angelo talked about the power of music to unite and within a couple songs the party vibe had returned, mostly. But there was no way Angelo was going to crowd surf tonight, right? Wrong. I won't lie that I didn't worry for his safety as he was carried on the hands of the crowd, many of who I was pretty sure had never seen Fishbone before. He even made it to the back, where I was, and when he stood himself up, he was right beside me, sweaty and singing in my face. I was in awe.
When the Fishbone documentary, Everyday Sunshine, was released, Angelo and Norwood appeared at a screening in San Francisco that I attended. They performed a short acoustic set of bass/guitar sax and theremin. Angelo had been obsessed with the theremin and I loved how odd and unexpected the performance was. I wrote about it a long time ago for my pre-Substack blog. You can read it and see a blurry pic here:
https://fuzzyswarbles.wordpress.com/2012/01/07/fishbone-doc-at-roxie-theater-sf/
Again, great piece. I've bookmarked it so I can watch the many links you shared.
I got to know Angelo a little bit in 93 while Fishbone was recording Give a Monkey Brain next door to the coffee shop where I was working. He would perform at the open mic I hosted and blow our tiny little minds
This was a great read. I saw it via Kevin's note and am glad I did. Great to have had that special time and to capture it as well. Fishbone rules.
This was incredible. Love that Fishbone played a show for kids! Growing up in PDX, you’d see the odd Fishbone sticker here or there, and it felt like being in on a secret. I finally got to see them in 2017. They played Truth And Soul in its entirety.
P.S. I’m going off of vague memory, but I didn’t think Berbati’s was big enough for a show like that? I remember a very small stage for, like, a solo guitarist.