The Justice

Media Credit: LISA NAHILL / The Justice TRIPLE BILL: Rap, reggae, and ska were represented at this year's spring concert. Naughty by Nature, the Wailers, and Reel Big Fish entertained Brandeis students with their radio hits.

A boon of college concerts is the opportunity to see some of the most unconventional lineups imaginable. Thursday night's nostalgia-heavy performance in the Shapiro Gymnasium-featuring The Wailers, Reel Big Fish and Naughty by Nature-was no exception.

Well over 1,000 students and fans from the Boston area endured strong winds, freezing rain and heavy Brandeis security as they piled into the gymnasium, which had been transformed overnight to house an elaborate stage and overhead-lighting rig. Naughty by Nature, added to the night's lineup just last week, was met by an excited crowd-most of whom were still in grade school during the group's rise to hip-hop fame in the early '90s. The trio wasted little time, jumping almost immediately into its most successful single, "O.P.P." The East Orange, N.J. band-which features Treach, Vin Rock and DJ Kay Gee-played for about 45 minutes, also including the 1993 hit "Hip Hop Hooray," as well as a tribute to the late Tupac Shakur, a close friend of Treach.

Following a short intermission and fanfare fit for a superhero, Reel Big Fish, likely the night's biggest draw for those in attendance, took the stage to perform its brand of hilariously sarcastic third-wave ska, a genre born from Jamaican reggae's fusion with American and British punk rock.

Reel Big Fish's frantic hour-long set was packed with upbeat melodies and swarming horns. Barrett's self-deprecating between-song banter provided as much reason to laugh as the singer's similarly ironic and sarcastic lyrics. Songs like "She Has a Girlfriend Now" and "Don't Start a Band" made it immediately clear this band does not take itself too seriously.

At the heart of Reel Big Fish's music is a desire to please its fans and a willingness to poke fun at itself. "If you're making people happy then they're going to come back to see you again and you get to keep making music," said trumpeter and vocalist Klopfenstein through his thick beard.

Besides the staples of RBF's live shows, the Gosman audience was treated to covers of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" and A-Ha's "Take on Me," as well as a series of different versions of Reel Big Fish's own song "Suburban Rhythm." Barrett continuously introduced the track as "a song off our new live CD called S.R." before jumping into versions of the song ranging from death metal and disco to a country-style hoedown.

Continued...

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