Less than Jake is on their North American tour “Welcome to Rockview” and on July 14th the stop was in Philly’s very own Theatre of the Living Arts. The tour featured multiple bands in different venues, and Philly got to witness Spring Heeled Jack, and Voodoo Glow Skulls alongside Less Than Jake. It was an absolute Ska Punk fest for the audience.
It all started with Spring Heeled Jack - one of the important names of the genre. They have been around since 1991 with multiple lineup changes and hiatus, but still rocking the crowd as always. Special mention of the guitarist Ron Ragona - what energy he has on stage. Chris Rhodes one of the icons of the genre was amazing on Trombone. The setlist consisted of songs like - “Diggin’ a Hole”, “Waiting, Watching” and “Jolene”. Next up it was Voodoo Glow Skulls - it was absolute madness (in a good way). Efrem Schulz has some presence on stage with his mask, dress, and with energy that was contagious. Once in a while, the “Zombie” was coming on stage with a flag or with a placard saying “Who Do Voodoo We Do” during the namesake song. The setlist consisted of all the foot-thumping numbers such as - “Insubordination”, “El Coo Cooi”, “Charlie Brown”, and a cover of the Beatles' “Here Come the Sun”. And then finally came LTJ with all its glory. The stage looked like almost pages of a comic book. Chris, Roger, Matt, Goldfinger, and JR seemed to be at the highest of their energy. The audience went crazy - crowd-surfing, head-banging, and singing all the songs verbatim. There was a time when they brought up a fan on stage. Mr. Skull came on stage from time to time with the flag and dancing. The setlist consisted of all the hits like - “History of a Boring Town”, “Look What Happened”, “Jhonny Quest Thinks We’re Sellouts”, “The Science of Selling Yourself Short”, “All My Friends are Metalheads”.
It was a great night and I am sure everyone enjoyed their hearts out. Kudos to the organizers and the management for the successful execution of the show and tour.
Less Than Jake
Voodoo Glow Skulls
Spring Heeled Jack
