On a hot steamy Tuesday night, Seattle’s Neptune hosted the legendary Mighty Mighty Bosstones. It’s been more than a decade since the Bosstones played this area, but like a good wine, they’ve aged well and this eight-piece from Boston was in top form. They came on stage all wearing matching read coats and black trousers with starched white shirts and kicked into high gear immediately.
Front Dicky Barret was a pleasure to watch. For the first half of the show he wore dark glasses as he strutted and ran about the stage, often thrusting his mic into the crowd for sing alongs. Meanwhile, Ben Carr, when not performing backing vocals, strutted about the stage like a plucky rooster, totally livening things up.
The Bosstones played many of their classics such as Rascal King and The Impression that I Get (the first song I ever heard by them). At one point Dicky invited a little girl of about seven years old to dance with them and dance she did. If they’d kept her on stage the entire time she certainly have stolen the show. She was all smiles as she danced away, often doing a pas de deux with Dicky.
Trombonist Chris Rhodes often shared vocal duties with Dicky and was just as entertaining as the other two. I mean, this guy had the moves.
When the band performed Royal Oil I could feel the floor heave in time to the bouncing bodies who danced along. There was barely a still body in the house all night long. If this show wasn’t sold out, it was close to it. The crowd was very jovial and made it clear that the Bosstones weren’t forgotten and were sorely missed.
For the encore, Dicky came back sans his starched shirt and red coat and instead wore a Poke Da Squid t-shirt. I hope it’s not another eleven years before the Bosstones return. This was a really fun show and I’d rather not wait until I’m a senior citizen to see them again. The Bosstones are, Dicky Barrett – lead vocals, Joe Gittleman “the Bass Fiddleman” – bass guitar, Tim “Johnny Vegas” Burton – tenor saxophone, Ben Carr – backing vocals, manager, dancer and “Bosstone”, Joe Sirois – drums and percussion, Kevin Lenear – alto saxophone and baritone saxophone, Lawrence Katz – guitar Chris Rhodes – trombone, John “JG” Goetchius – keyboards.
Opening the show was Los Angeles based ska/punkers The Interrupters. These guys KILLED IT! Lead vocalist Aimee Interrupter is a dynamic performer. She came out wearing plaid leggings and a leather jacket while the guys wore matching black trousers, white shirts and black suspenders. The only member who stayed in one place was drummer Jesse Bivona. Kevin & Justin Bivona guitarist & bass) constantly ran from one side of the stage to the other, changing places with each other. Their music was reminiscent of the Ramones and Two Tone. The Interrupters are a band I will keep my eye on. They put on a great performance and even had a dance circle going for most of their set.
Opening the entire night was Seattle favorites Poke Da Squid. PDS are a young and upcoming band with loads of potential. They played their pop punk sound with a slight smattering of ska thrown in. They’re charismatic, they’re adorable and their music is catchy and tight. What more can one ask for in a band? I hope this gig put them on the map a bit more because these guys deserve the exposure.
Photos by Holly Homan, all rights reserved.
