See Also:
*Big D and the Kids Table – Aladdin Jr. – 7/31/12
*Big D and the Kids Table – Aladdin Jr. – 7/31/12
For fans of OC ska, few bands outshine Starpool's ability to pump life into the scene by throwing packed parties with the perfect brass-wielding lineups. The End of Summer Ska Splash was nothing short of a fun evening, with bands like Stupid Flanders, Defunked, My Superhero, and HB Surround Sound.
Each opening band had their own take on the genre, allowing everyone in the venue to enjoy the different mix of sounds besides the standard guitar upstrokes and horn tunes.
As more attendees began trickling in, the venue looked like a kaleidoscope of people as fans came in all ages, dressed in their best Rude Boy attire and floral button-ups.
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As the party's emcee Tazy Phillipz introduced Starpool, TuPac's “California Love” filled the venue as the band walked out onstage and kicked off their set list while red and white confetti exploded into the crowd.
It was non-stop dancing and singing from then on as Alan Meade (vocals) encouraged fans to interact by singing and waving their hands for songs like “Despise.” Barriers between the audience and band were broken down immediately as Meade constantly stood against the barricade and serenaded fans.
For fans who've been with the band since the early '00s, the show was definitely a chance to rally around one of OC's most persistent practitioners of island-inspired party music. Fans knew when to chant or fist pump and Meade seemed to enjoy the familiar faces he saw in the crowd.
By the time Starpool came out for their encore, beach balls where thrown into the audience as the band covered Fishbone's “Party At Ground Zero.” Soon after, the band walked off stage again and fans knew to call out “Tbone Willy” as the band is notorious for bringing out their trombonist in wacky outfits.
Armed with only a baby blue surf board in hand, Tbone Willy, surfed into the crowd. Fans held up the surf board as he stood atop and played his red trombone as beach balls were still being bounced around throughout the venue. The Isley Brother's “Shout” was the band's closing number as more confetti shot out from the up top and other bands joined Starpool on stage for the finale. The band said their goodbyes and promised the return of their Annual Ska Luau in December, leaving fans with something to look forward to.
The Crowd: Kids with their parents, teenagers, and adults.
Overheard: “Chocolate Penis!”
Random Notebook Dump: Despite the different range in age, it didn't stop anyone from skanking their feet to the beat. That's the great thing about ska shows.
Setlist:
“You Know You Want It”
“Start Again”
“Living In This World”
“New Light”
“Ready or Not”
“Despise”
“Falling Down”
“Give Me Your Love”
“Hooligans”
“Work It Out”
“La Luna”
“Don't Know What I Want”
“Living In Transition”
“It's Alright”
“Party At Ground Zero”
“Tbone Willy”
“Shout”
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