A nervous energy permeated the 9:30 club through all four sets of Monday's show, the "Ska is Dead ... And You're Next" tour. Catch-22 headlined the tour, and The Planet Smashers, Big D and the Kids Table and Mustard Plug opened to an increasingly enthusiastic crowd. After an astounding set of openers, Catch-22 was the cap on the night that everyone needed.
This is a dry spell for ska, but the "Ska is Dead" tour managed to fill the 9:30 club to the edges nonetheless. Mustard Plug and The Planet Smashers attracted a slightly older crowd of twenty-somethings, but headliners Catch-22 insured that the majority of the audience was of high-school an college age. The young crowd sparked with hyperactive anxiety, and the groove in the club prompted dancing and chanting all across the floor. The activity among fans was a curious mix of moshing and skanking (a two-step dance traditionally suited to ska), and it didn't have the confrontational edge that is found at heavier punk and hardcore shows.
Each of the three bands contributed something different to the show. The Planet Smashers are veterans of the now-defunct Moon Ska record label and long-time icons in the scene, and its show has remained energetic since the height of the third wave of ska. The Smashers' pure-breed ska vibe was an ideal staple to kick off the show. Big D and the Kids Table, a slightly newer ska-punk outfit, followed up with a wealth of energy onstage, and they led the lineup in excitement and enthusiasm. Big D's horns kept above the caustic guitar lines and the singer's gravely voice, so the band's live show turned out to be more ska and less punk than a good deal of its recorded material.
Despite the excellent performances by the first two bands, Mustard Plug proved to kick the evening into its climax. Its stage presence was undeniable, and Mustard Plug's sheer musical talent carried the set. Rousing choruses accompanied the hits "You," "Beer Song" and one of its oldest album staples, "Mr. Smiley." After Mustard Plug left stage, the crowd called for an encore, and though the request was denied, it was a rare honor for an opening band.
Catch-22's set concluded the evening perfectly. Victory Records ska staple played through new material, as well as old favorites like "1234 1234" and "Keasby Nights." Catch-22 generally sped up its songs, making for performances that were less uniform with its recorded material; however, its musical agression matched the audience's disposition perfectly, tapping the undercurrents of excitement among fans. An encore was demanded of them, as well, which Catch-22 gladly provided.
For a genre of music that's supposedly "dead," this tour drew an impressive crowd on a Monday night. The bands and the fans worked together to generate a good-natured groove without the angst customary to a punk or hardcore show, and the ska stimulated excessive dancing in both young and old fans. With more successes like this, ska certainly has hope of being resurrected.
