SHOW REVIEW: MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES

This would be the second of three full-house shows for hometown heavyweights, The Mighty Mighty BossTones. Situated across the street from historic Fenway Park, the House of Blues Boston has a capacity of 2,200, and the BossTones would fill this place for three nights for their annual year-end run in Boston. As for the setup, the House of Blues is a great place to see a show; consisting of three levels, there isn’t a bad spot in the place. And as long as there isn’t a game going at Fenway, parking is plentiful. I highly recommend seeing a show here; for upcoming events visit The House of Blues online.

Prior to the BossTones taking the stage, local punk rockers, The Queers, would start things off. Hailing from Portsmouth, NH, founder Joe King (aka Joe Queer) has fronted the band since its inception in 1981 as well as handling guitar duties. With a similar sound to the Ramones, The Queers are known for covering many bands including The Beach Boys, The Who, and of course, The Ramones. They aren’t exactly my style of music, but the crowd seemed to really enjoy them.

After a twenty-minute changeover, The Mighty Mighty BossTones took to the stage. Formed in 1983, this is one of the most unique bands you will find out there. Labeled as American ska-core, this is 1940’s big band meets 1970’s hardcore, meets 1980’s rock. Consisting of original members Dicky Barrett, lead vocals; Joe “the Bass Fiddleman” Gittleman, bass guitar; Tim “Johnny Vegas” Burton, tenor saxophone; Ben Carr, dancer/backing vocals, along with long standing members Joe Sirois, drums; Kevin Lenear, alto saxophone and baritone saxophone; Lawrence Katz, guitar; Chris Rhodes, trombone, and the newest edition of John Goetchius on keyboards, they have put out a total of nine studio albums, including their most commercially successful album Let’s Face It. This album produced the hit, “The Impression That I Get”, which would go on to achieve platinum status. With their signature plaid suits, this is a band that is truly one of the most unusual out there, with a very loyal following.

At the 10 pm hour, the curtain dropped, and the BossTones took to the stage. Not being a huge fan of the band myself, I found myself growing fonder of them as the night went on. The music and the crowd moved me to change my own tone, and once again, I found myself enjoying the show and the energy when I wasn’t really expecting to. With a Christmas-themed setting and the members of the band decked out in three piece suits, if you were not familiar with the band what would come out next wouldn’t be expected. They would kick things off with “Dr. D“ from 1992’s More Noise And Other Disturbances. Barrett’s distinctly raspy, gravel-laden voice would take center stage, alongside the ever-energetic Carr, who didn’t stop for a moment’s rest. Set behind them, the remainder of the band would provide the background needed to create the distinct and energetic, driving sounds of ska. As they sang, danced, and played through a monster 24-song set, I found myself rediscovering this band that I only looked at from a peripheral perspective. I was surprised by how entertaining and good these guys were. But, then again, a band simply doesn’t spend over three decades on the scene if they suck. And the crowd were equally different as they blended dancing with moshing and crowd-surfing. This was not quite a metal show, but not quite a swing dancing scene, either; it was something truly unique that was great to be a part of. By the night’s end, I had rediscovered something I never took a good enough look at to begin with. If you want to see something different that is really cool to be a part of, check out the Mighty Mighty BossTones. I guarantee you will not leave disappointed. As for new music, I’m not sure what they have coming along, and tour dates are sporadic, but to keep up to date on all things BossTones visit http://www.bosstonesmusic.com/.