Images: The Aquabats, Emily’s Army October 1, 2014 at Hard Rock Live

I can still remember the first time I heard The Aquabats, which was my junior year of high-school on the way to school one morning.  A musically influential friend of mine played “Captain Hampton & The Midge Pirates!” for me and hooked me on their catchy, yet ridiculous flavor of ska-rock.  Shortly thereafter, I was fortunate enough to see them with a pre-Blink 182 Travis Barker drumming.  It is amazing to me that a silly band dressed as super-heroes wearing rash guards, fighting characters in silly costumes like sand fleas and two headed cats, could have the longevity to celebrate a 20 year anniversary (Masked Intruder should probably take some notes!).

I was pretty excited to see The Aquabats again at Hard Rock Live on Oct. 1, which is the second time I have seen them since the creation of The Aquabats Super Show.  The crowd was a surprising mix of ages, with a huge number of really small children dressed as Aquacadets.  Though the band and their long-time fans have grown older, the audience seems to have gotten a lot younger in recent years, I’m sure due to the success of the TV show, and association with Yo-Gabba-Gabba.  Not many bands can boast the broad appeal of being a concert both a child and their parents will enjoy.

The Aquabats kicked off the night with “The Aquabats! Super Show! Theme Song” and then jumped into “Martian Girl” complete with “whoa-oh” hand signals.  They then played fan favorites like the “Cat With Two Heads,” and “Pizza Day,” and had a hug-a-long with “Hey Homies.”  Soon after, a giant chicken came to the stage to throw chicken nuggets into the crowd to The Fury of the Aquabats “Magic Chicken,”  but then, something terrible and tragic occurred!  A 12 foot tall dinosaur attacked the band!  Luckily, they were able to fight it off, and the show could continue.  Leading the encore was “Fashion Zombies,” which the Bat Commander introduced almost verbatim as the “Large Marge” story from Pee Wees Big Adventure,  then oldie “Red Sweater,”  and a beach-ball filled “Pool Party” concluded the evening.  The show was a  whole lot of fun to watch, and one would be hard pressed to find a band with greater energy.  It has been a super rad 16 years for me, seeing the silliness grow (I can remember a time before the Bat Commander had a mustache, and still had all his teeth), and I can’t wait to see more of their adventures.

Opening the show was Oakland’s Emily’s Army, who are planning on changing their name to Swimmers next year. This very young band  played some pretty straightforward punk rock, reminding me a bit of the Ramones mixed with the Beach Boys.  Prior to writing this review, I was unaware that drummer of the band, Joey Armstrong, is actually the son of Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong.  The crowd enjoyed the high-energy, many stage jumps, and Robyn cover “Dancing On My Own” in particular.  There is sure to be a lot to come from these guys.

-Aaron Mattern | https://www.flickr.com/photos/akmofoto/