In my opinion, it's hard not to have fun at a ska show. Even if you don't enjoy listening to ska on your iPod, ska shows are just so damn fun. First up was the Dropsteppers. They were an extremely tight and talented reaggae/ska band with no horn section. The music was very catchy and well executed. I will definitely be checking their studio stuff out in the future.

Los Vicios de Papa came on stage next. They were a Latin-tinged, Spanish-speaking ska band from the southside of Chicago. Holy crap were they fun. The only drawback was not understanding the Spanish lyrics, but the crowd went crazy. You could tell these guys were feeding off the audience. The energy they put into this performance was something you don't see too often from openers. The bassist was especially good, and the horn section was very tight. Each song brought something unique and different which kept things interesting. There was actually a pit going on in the front which got pretty intense at points.

After Los Vicios de Papa, it was time for the main event. Mustard Plug came on with so much enthusiasm that you wouldn't know that they were 20 years into their career. The songs sounded very fresh, the energy was great, and the band seemed to be having a blast. Nate Cohn, the new-ish drummer, kept the band in sync and was smiling from ear to ear the whole show. Only real downside music-wise is that I wish the horn section was mic'd up so I could hear the great horn licks better. The setlist was very balanced, taking songs from all different parts of Mustard Plug's discography. The only disappointment was no representation from 2003's fantastic Yellow #5. After the show the band stuck around to talk to fans and were very endearing. If Mustard Plug is ever in your area, even if you are not a big ska fan, you should check them out. Their shows always make for a fun night.

Setlist:

Skank By Numbers
Sadie Mae
Go
Hit Me
Blame Yourself
You
Lolita
Throw A Bomb
Real Rat Bastard
Yesterday
Brain on Ska
Vodka (New Song)
Waiting Room
Life is Too Short
Aye Aye Aye
Mendoza
Mr. Smiley
Over The Edge
On and On and On
Beer

Encore:
Never Be
We're Gonna Take on The World