Tokyo, Japan. Two Nights. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Was Japan ready for the MMB? Did the Japanese go off? Yes. And you better believe it. The first night in the On Air club, right in the center of Tokyo, the atmosphere was like a tiger ready to pounce. The music fans of Tokyo entered the club and politely kneeled on the floor as songs from the Dead Kennedys, Stevie Wonder, Log Wagon and other assorted American artists blasted out of the p.a. system and into their ears. A long haired, gooteed, sharply-dressed Japanese guy shouted something this writer could not understand (I only speak English), and the audience jumped to their feet, cheering wildly. A four-piece band called lifeboct charged the stage with an energy that challenged the city's neon-infested nights. Their sound was sort of oi!, sort of ska, very punk and very good. The crowd lost it. They screamed, bounced, danced, song along - they... well they lost it. The singer of this band, I was told, is some sort of professional fighter. His footwork made me believe he's got to be the Japanese champion. This went on for thirty or forty minutes. The members of Lifeboat said "sionara" left the stage, and the audience squatted again, as if gravity had somehow become much stronger-and they were in no mood to fight it. From their low vantage point they periodically chanted something this writer had no trouble understanding: "Mighty Mighty Bosstones!, Mighty Mighty" loud and clear. If I closed my eyes it sounded like any Bosstones' show in the U.S. The bagpipes come screeching from the speakers and the crowd were on its feet again and the chanting somehow got louder.
The stage lights exploded on with a blinding whiteness and the city of Tokyo got it's first look at the Men who make the ska-core. Joe Gittleman screamed "1,2,3,4!" in Japanese and the band tore into a Godzilla-like version of "Devil's Night Out," from the album "Devil's Night Out." The crowd couldn't deal. They went more insane than any group of people I've ever witnessed. Tears, cheers and flying Kirin beers, the emotion in the room was at a level I know I couldn't convey in a million written words-and I must add, this journalist was quite moved. Drowing energy from energy, and adding the energy this bond was born with, the Bosstones shuffled the old school and the new school and dealt the songs with a fierceness I've come to know and one that was not missed by the good people of Tokyo, Japan. The classics "Awfully Quiet" and "It Can't Hurt" were delivered. The more current numbers they performed that struck me as being on target this very magical evening were "Hell of A Hat" and "Kinder Words". The one I heard for the first time at Lollopoloozo "Royal Oil", was served up and devoured like a huge bowl of yakisoba, along with "1, 2, 8" that i've never laid my ears on and hope to again soon. In honor of a special visit from Murphy's Law's sound wizard, Von, (in Japan while doing sound for Luscious -Jackson), the band pulled "Cavity Creeps" out of their ag of tricks. This show was arA-Bomb.
The next day, I took in the sights of the city, drained from last 's show, and excited about the show I'd be catching in the night ahead of me, then arrived at the venue. The scene was the same, right up until the opening act took the stage-the Japanese musical delicacy Rude Bones. . Amazing musicians, well assembled songs, and a high level intensity, I'm now happily getting used to, in this fine country. The crowd was bouncing off the walls, dancing on the ceiling, and landing head-first on the floor.
Lights ... stage set up ... bagpipes ... BossToneS. Nate, Dicky and Joe, sporting Royal Stewart-style tartan suits, Kevin in some sort of a silver space suit, and the others fashionably decked-they drill the audience with the D-Man-penned ripper, "We Should Talk." Old, I should mention-"He's Back," "Do Something Crazy," "Sweet Emotion." We also heard "Chocolate Pudding," Superbly crooned by the Velvet-Throated Johnny Vegas. This was another amazing show. This was an amazing trip. Japan's an amazing place.