For everyone who knows Sublime and continues to hold a place for them in their hearts, Badfish, their tribute band, is of almost guaranteed familiarity. Thursday, September 14, Badfish graced Northampton with an amazing performance that had the entire audience at their fingertips. When they finally made their entrance on stage at 10:30 p.m., the crowd went nuts, screaming at the top of their lungs. After about three hours of standing around, relief finally came; every single person dancing and singing right along with the band.
They played all the familiar songs, and it was surprising that there were a couple of unrecognizable songs, which were hard to place a name to. During “In the End” it was difficult to even hear the vocalist, Dave, because the crowd was belting out the lyrics right along with him. They played songs like “Badfish,” “Scarlet Begonias,” “40-oz to Freedom,” “What I got (reprise),” “Garden Grove,” “Santeria,” “Don’t Push Me” and several more.
Before they went on-stage, we were catching some pictures of them and the drummer, Scott, asked the other members what they were going to play. When this came up in our interview preceding the show, they told me that they never know what they’re going to play before going onstage; they come up with it as they go. Most bands these days have at least a set list to work with, even though they rarely follow it. These guys have a distinctive connection with each other that enables them to come up with a set as they play.
Immediately the crowd was a mess, and there was rarely a time when there wasn’t someone crowd surfing. It was amusing to watch because several of them were dropped, which is an ultimate hazard. It is truly amazing to witness how a tribute band can provide their audience with so much energy and movement. They sound so similar and do such an incredible job impersonating Sublime that you can easily forget that it isn’t really them, but you can’t get any closer than this.
The crowd wasn’t the average stoner-hippy group of fans who just bob around to the rhythm of the music. They were jumping all over the place, even creating a mosh pit in the midst of the dancers and crowd surfers. These guys were driving their fans to the brink of exhaustion, and you could feel the temperature rising in the venue from all of the energy the audience was providing and, at that point, they had only played five songs.
After they finished playing every song, you were left with a tingling sensation on the surface of your skin and the echo of the music running through your veins. R.P. Whitmore from Hampshire College told us, “It was decent. I’ve never been to a tribute band before, but they were great.”
Amber Bartosz said her favorite song was “Garden Grove.” She was very pleased with the set they played, but she wished they had played “Saw Red.” She also mentioned that the newest band member, Pat, had caught her attention and she would like to know more about him.
The band was gracious enough to let me ask them some questions while they packed up. Here’s what they had to say.
Q: What’s your favorite part of being on the road? The groupies? A: (Dave-vocalist) I was never really into that. The best part is playing the shows. (Pat- Sax, keyboard, occasional percussion) Yeah, it’s like one big road trip.
Q: A lot of fans want to know if you have ever considered playing your own music. A: (Pat) It’s in the works. We’ve been in and out of the studio, and we’ll have a demo by the end of the month.
Q: What is one thing you would like to see happen after coming this far? A: (Dave) Keep playing shows. (Pat) I’d go with conquer the world. Going further, if you’re not growing, then you’re dying.
Q: Musicians have the power to manipulate their audience in almost every way; what is one thing you would like to see your entire audience do? A: (Dave) It’s crazy because you really can (manipulate the audience). Well, we wouldn’t want things to get awkward. (Pat) Yeah, I mean, if we told everyone to get naked, then everyone would be focused on the orgies and not us.
Q: Why Sublime? A: (Pat) After Brad Nowell died the fans didn’t get a show for their new CD, Sublime. It started as one show, and it sold out. We keep doing it because people want to hear it. Each show gets more and more fun, and each night it’s like another party about to happen.
Q: Briefly describe what it’s like to see how your music affects your fans. A: (Pat) Powerful. (Scott- percussion and acoustic) It’s great. It makes you play better. People are out there rockin’ out, and it gets you more into it.
Q: Describe what your original music is like. A: (Pat) It has elements of Sublime with more of a modern split.
Q: How can you be so passionate about music that you don’t write? A: (Dave) It’s the same if you’re in any band and one person writes the music. (Pat) In the end it’s all the art of expression.
Badfish left the venue with the surreal memory of their performance and the fans begging for more. We can expect great things to emerge from a tribute band about to take the next step and release their original music to the world.
