Reel Big Fish’s Candy Coated Fury World Tour – REVIEW

We recently got to see one of the most entertaining acts in the touring circuit and one of our favorite acts, Reel Big Fish, while they were playing at the House of Blues in Chicago on their “Candy Coated Fury World Tour”. Check out our review of the night’s events after the break.

Monday January 21, 2013, Martin Luther King Jr. day, brought the Candy Coated Fury World Tour to Chicago’s historic House of Blues. With this day being a holiday and a lot of kids having off school I was expecting a huge turnout for this early 6:00pm show. This tour was an exciting one for me, not just because of Reel Big fish, but for the amazing ska sensation band Pilfers. This early show kicked off with some soulful acoustic tunes from Dan Potthast, a Santa Cruz, California musician who is mainly known for his vocalist position in the ska-punk band MU330. Dan lit up the stage of the House of Blues as the venue slowly but surely filled with teenagers, all waiting to dance and have a good time.

The New York ska band Pilfers were a group that I hadn’t heard too much from, but I was certainly interested in seeing them live. This 5-piece group featured plenty of amazing trombone, and the act thrived on crowd participation and energy. One song in particular, “Yakuza,” loudly went along with singer Coolie Ranx saying “Nothing can dwell” and the audience yelling back “In a living hell.” Some of the other hits from the set were “Shit’s Up In The Air,” “Legal Shot,” and “Roller Coaster.” These guys had a great vibe that seemed to have some reggae elements at times, but whatever direction the tunes went, the energy never stopped.

The amazingly famous touring machines, Reel Big Fish, took the stage with their sunglasses, two-tone outfits, and great attitudes. The hit song “Everyone Else Is an Asshole” off the 2012 “Candy Coated Fury” album was the first tune that had the packed crowd singing the dirty words loud and proud. From there the set list stayed strong with “Trendy,” “Everything Sucks,” “I Know You Too Well To Like You Anymore,” and “Sell Out” all being played perfectly. I’ve seen Reel Big Fish a couple times now and they tend to usually be an act that plays the hits that everybody knows and wants to hear, and this was just fine with everybody at the show. The dancing, skanking, and mosh pits were everywhere the entire show and the smiles on people’s faces were wide. Towards the middle of the set the tune “Everybody’s Drunk” accurately described a large portion of the audience who were swaying around with their drinks. Other hits included “Your Guts,” “Good Thing,” “Hate You,” Where Have You Been,” “She Has A Girlfriend Now,” and “In The Pit.” The selection of songs came from a wide variety of Reel Big Fish’s eight studio albums. One of my personal favorite was the “Another F.U. Song” that featured loud choruses of the “F” word from audience. The band ended with their hit song “Beer” only to come back for a three song encore of “Don’t Stop Skankin,” “Suburban Rhythm,” and “Take On Me.”

The hit-filled set from Reel Big Fish left the crowd voiceless and sweaty as they filed out of the House of Blues into the frigid Chicago air. I knew what to expect from a Reel Big Fish show, and they sure didn’t disappoint!

Information about the review…
Tour: Candy Coated Fury World Tour
Acts: Reel Big Fish, Pilfers, Dan P (from MU330)
Reviewer: Michael Nutting
Date: January 21, 2013
Venue: House of Blues in Chicago, IL