Upon entering the House of Blues, fans were “lei-ed” to welcome them to Starpool’s 2nd Annual Ska Luau. Fans were dressed in their best Hawaiian shirts, staying true to the theme of the night despite the chilly weather. A sign that read “Welcome to our luau” decorated the stage, along with tiki lights that helped set the ambiance for the night.
To further enhance the ‘luau’ theme of the event, the Magnolia Polynesian Club performed 10 different Hawaiian dances, each depicting a certain Hawaiian aspect by telling a story through their movements. The club also performed a dance from Disney’s “Lilo and Stitch.” At first, the audience seemed captivated by the dance club, but eventually their interest seemed to drift in anxiousness to see bands play.
The Skank Agents were the perfect openers for the night. It was obvious that Streetlight Manifesto was an influence of theirs with their strong horn section and infusion of ska and punk. Their energy onstage easily captivated everyone on the floor as practically everyone began skanking to their set. The band surprised the audience when they closed their set with their ska cover of Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles.”
Half Past Two, the only female-fronted ska band, took stage afterward. Lindsey Smith (vocalis), dressed in a grass skirt and flower-print shirt, emphasized how the word of the day was “free” as they constantly threw T-shirts into the crowd and promoted their free giveaway of their new E.P. “Songs with Friends.” Close to the end of their set, the band announced that it would be Country Dave’s (guitar) last show and played an oldie, “Aaron, the Castaway.”
Suburban Legends opened their set with “Come Back Home,” a catchy disco track that instantly got the crowd grooving to the beat. The band’s choreographed dance sequences and nonstop crowd interaction made them immediate favorites of the night.
Vincent Walker’s (vocals) witty comment made fans laugh as he promised, “Everyone’s getting “lei-d” tonight!” Fans were pleased as the band mixed their set-list with oldies like “Don Juan” and premiered their long-anticipated track, “Dude Alert.”
Once Suburban Legends finished their set, the curtains closed and fans began chanting “Chocolate Penis,” referencing an inside joke from a Starpool show at DiPiazza’s earlier this year. While fans anxiously awaited to finally see Starpool, Tazy Phillips, a leading figure in the ska scene and creator of the Ska Parade, asked the crowd how their night was. The crowd cheered in response, assuring that the second Ska Luau was a success.
Phillips introduced Starpool, the curtains unveiled the stage and Starpool jumped into a fan favorite, “You Know You Want It. The song immediately got fans singing and dancing. Without missing a beat, Starpool wasted no time in beginning the next song “Try Living In This World,” keeping the energy vibrant within the venue.
Throughout their set, band members would throw out colorful leis into the crowd that only promoted more energy from fans. Alan Meade (vocals) would constantly come down from the stage and stand on the barricade to interact with fans by serenading them. Starpool’s constant audience interaction is only one aspect that makes them such a successful live band.
The band’s eclectic mix of music featured their cover of Elvis Costello’s “Pump It Up,” which got the entire crowd jumping and fist pumping to the upbeat track. The band then took a different musical direction by playing Oliver Zavala’s “La Luna,” to which Zavala made a shout out to all the Hispanics in the venue.
Like at most Starpool shows, the band called up two fans to have a dance showdown to win free merchandise. The band called out special guest, DJ Lance, to host the dance contest. A girl with bright neon pink hair stood next to a boy with neon blue hair. The crowd cheered on the two dancers, and the band gave both contestants a free Starpool shirt and CD.
As Starpool took offstage, fans began chanting “TBone Willy,” calling out the trombonist. As the band walked back onstage, fans searched the dark stage in hopes of seeing TBone Willy. The lights came on, the band began playing, and out ran out TBone Willy, dressed in only a black bikini and brunette wig, who jumped into the crowd to dance with fans.
Starpool finished the night with their cover of The Isley Brother’s “Shout,” where all previous bands were invited to the stage to dance. Confetti and leis were thrown while fans sang and danced along to the closing song of the Ska Luau.
