Reel Big Fish

The Show Must Go Off! (Kung Fu)
by Jessica Parker

Even if you don’t like ska music, usually there’s one thing a ska show can do for the average person: Provide a fun performance. Hey, if you don’t like them, you can at least enjoy the goofiness that is ska. However, this live dvd is somewhat disappointing performance-wise. Reel Big Fish don’t move a lot on stage, and they take a lot of time to talk between songs. The slow pace of the show is a misrepresentation of the obvious playfulness of the band. The songs are fun and the Fish is a tight band: Something that does come across during the show. The talent of RBF’s musicians is watered-down by the uninventive camera angles and lack of audience shots. How does it feel to be at one of their live shows? (Something any live show DVD should get across, in my opinion.) The DVD’s additional features include a witty commentary and a quick look at the backstage life of RBF, both of which are light and comical. So these ska jokers are funny and the show does blend good music and comedy. And hey, in the end, the DVD provides an opportunity to laugh at those ska guys, right?
(PO Box 38009 Hollywood, CA 90038)