Concert Review: The Aquabats! “Holy Guacamole Tour”, Buffalo, NY

“Holy Guacamole Tour”

The Aquabats!, Koo Koo Kangaroo, MC Lars

Saturday, September 14th, 2019

Town Ballroom, Buffalo, NY

Our score 4.5 out of 5 stars

The Aquabats! Along with special guests Koo Koo Kangaroo and MC Lars made a stop at the quant Town Ballroom in Buffalo, NY on September 14th as part of their current “Holy Guacamole Tour”.  The family friendly evening was over flowing with energy and laughs as all three groups incorporated crowd participation into their sets making for a truly unique and unforgettable evening.

The cartoon drawing, YouTube creating rapper know as MC Lars would kick off the evening’s festivities with a set of hip-hop infused punk rock featuring songs from all five of the rappers releases. Songs like “Hot Topic Is Not Punk Rock” and “Mr.Raven” incorporated crowd participation call and answer sections with the latter featuring an accompaniment from one lucky young concert attendee who rapped alongside the artist. Easily the most impressive part of the set was when the rapper asked for audience members to hold up random items which were then incorporated into a hysterical off the cuff free style rap.  Dance-pop duo Koo Koo Kangaroo would take the stage next for an energetic set of laughable, dance inducing songs that had the entire venue smiling and gyrating. The Minnesota natives joked with the crowd in between songs like “Dinosaur Stomp”, “Fanny Pack” and “Unibrow” and at several points during the set the duo left the stage to dance and further involve the audience in their laughable performance.

The Aquabats! Would hit the stage next kicking off their set with the song “The Shark Fighter” from the group’s 2011 album “Hi-Fi Soup”. Giant inflatable sharks were tossed back and forth between the stage and crowd as everyone within reach took turns helping their costume clad heroes take out the amphibious baddies. As the night progressed the band who had been absent from Buffalo for quite some time made it up to the crowd with songs like “Red Sweater!”, “Hey Homies!” and the theme from the groups popular television/YouTube series “The Aquabats! Super Show! Theme Song”. Probably my favorite part of the set was during the song “Pizza Day!” when the MC Bat Commander instructed concert goers to return two of the large inflatable pizza’s which had been floating around the crowd to the front of the stage. While this was taking place the Commander brought up two very excited youngsters and once the pizza was in place the youth were thrown on to said pizzas and then passed around overhead as the band played the remainder of the song. You don’t see that every day! After several more songs the band would leave the stage at the close of “Captain Hampton and the Midget Pirates!” only to return after a brief pause to perform their break out hit “Super Rad!”, Also included in the encore was a cover of The Outfields “Your Love” and another Aquabats! fan favorite “Pool Party”.

Needless to say the whole night was a blast. It was great seeing kids and adults of all ages have fun while singing and dancing. Equally enjoyable was the level of interaction that each artist brought to their sets which really made the audience feel like they too were part of the show. The “Holy Guacamole Tour” runs through November so there is still plenty of time to catch one of these shows. Take the whole family you won’t be disappointed!

Aqua Bats Set List:

1.) The Shark Fighter!

2.) Cat With 2 Heads!

3.) Red Sweater!

4.) Martian Girl!

5.) Pizza Day!

6.) The Aquabats! Super Show! Theme Song

7.) Hey Homies!

8.) In My Dreams!

9.) Hot Summer Nights (Won’t Last Forever)!

10.) Fashion Zombies!

11.) Burger Rain!

12.) Look At Me, I’m a Winner!

13.) Caption Hampton and the Midget Pirates!

Encore:

14.) Super Rad!

15.) Your Love

16.) Pool Party!

 

 

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Filed Under: Concert Reviews, Music Tagged With: aquabats, buffalo, concert, guacamole, holy, ny, ...

Blu-ray Review "Holy Motors"

Actors: Denis Lavant, Kylie Minogue, Eva Mendes, Edith Scob
Directors: Leos Carax
Rated: Unrated
Studio: Indomina
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Run Time: 115 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

Well, how can I describe a film like “Holy Motors”? I do not think it is possible… I was drawn to this film from the insane description that it was a mix of “monster movie, film noir, romantic drama, musical, crime thriller and anime”. I mean does that not sound awesome or what!? Well the film itself is such a mind-bending trip, thanks to Internationally acclaimed and controversially director Léos Carax (“Pola X”, “The Lovers on the Bridge”). I have to say “Holy Motors” is probably one of the most trippiest films that I have seen in a long time, but it is also one of the most unique as well. The film also delivers great performances from Eva Mendes (“Ghost Rider”) and Grammy Award-winning artist Kylie Minogue, who contributed new and original music for the film. Denis Lavant plays Monsieur Oscar and steals the show here. His performance was named in the Top 10 of the Year by Time Magazine and truly deserves it. Looking for a odd and quasi-hallucinatory film then look further than “Holy Motors”. But don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Official Premise: Over the course of a single day, Monsieur Oscar travels by limousine around Paris to a series of nine appointments, transforming into new characters at each stop. He is a captain of industry, a gypsy beggar, a digitized ninja warrior (and reptilian sex god!), a gibberish-spewing troglodyte, the melancholy father of a teenage daughter, a shadowy assassin, a dying old man, and a thwarted lover reuniting with a past flame.

Indomina Films delivers an decent Blu-ray presentation but not stunning as I would have expected. The 1080p transfer presented with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 looks sharp and works well with the tone of the film. The audio though is a bit of a let down, compared to the UK release which came with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 track, we just get a Dolby Digital 5.1 track. When it comes to DVD that is fine with me but when it comes to Blu-ray if it is not an HD track, then it is disappointing to me. It still sounds ok but the fact that it is on one and not the other is a letdown again. The special features are worth checking out if you liked the film. The star of the release is “Drive In” – The Making of Holy Motors”, which runs just over 45 minutes and gives a real look into the film itself with cast/crew interviews. Next up is an interview with Kylie Minogue, who gives a really sharp interview. Lastly there is a domestic and international trailer included.

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Blu-ray Review “Holy Flying Circus”

Directed by: Owen Harris
Starring: Darren Boyd, Charles Edwards, Steve Punt, Rufus Jones, Tom Fisher,
Phil Nichol
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distributed by: Acorn Media
Release Date: September 4, 2012
Running Time: 90 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

When it comes to anything Monty Python, I am in like flint. This docudrama focuses on a few subjects that Python has been known best for censorship And scandals. I was curious to see how this film would work without any actualy members of the group but it didn’t disappoint at all. It was funny and completely zany in perfect Python traditions. It showcases animation sequences, cross dressing, fantasy sequences and just everything else that made Python work at Python. It is a fantastic tribute to the Monty Python troop. Any true fan of Monty Python should not miss out on this release for sure

If you are wondering what this film is, it is not a new Monty Python film. It is a “Pythonesque” docudrama which reimagines the controversy surrounding Monty Python’s 1979 film, “Life of Brian”, as it was met with widespread outcry and accusations of blasphemy. Michael Palin (played by Charles Edwards) and John Cleese (played by Darren Boyd) plan to appear in a BBC talk show about “Life of Brian” with a Church of England bishop and a staunchly Catholic broadcaster. The debate which ended up putting the Pythons in their most absurd role yet: the voice of reason.

“Holy Flying Circus” comes in a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. It’s video transfer is only presented in 1080i, though it looks decent. The audio track included is also a little tame with its 2.0 stereo PCM track but work with what is given in the film. The special features on the release are nothing special. There is a brief but interesting “Making of the Holy Flying Circus” phonotrope. There are a three deleted scenes and an outtake reel, worth checking out if you enjoyed the film for sure. Lastly there are production stills included.

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Blu-ray Review “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”

Directed by: Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam
Starring: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle
MPAA Rating: PG
Distributed by: Sony Pictures
Release Date: March 6, 2012
Running Time: 91 minutes

Film: 5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 4 out of 5 stars

Who doesn’t love “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”. It is easily, Monty Python’s best movie, it just never gets old. I was really looking forward to the Blu-ray release of this film. Don’t forget though “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” was filmed over almost 40 years ago, so the 1080p transfer isn’t perfect but it is DAMN impressive. There is a little grain in the video but it can be overlooked easily since everything else is perfect. The audio track is also very impressive including an DTS-HD MA 5.1 track and also the original 2.0 mono for those who enjoy. Overall, I really enjoyed watching this in high definition.

This Blu-ray also comes packed with many great features including an Ultraviolet digital copy and BD-Live. There is also a feature called “The Holy Book of Days Second Screen”, which uses an iPad to “experience the adventure of shooting Monty Python and the Holy Grail”. It takes you through the 28 days on location with never-before-seen outtakes, stills, original script, diaries, sketches, sounds, and more. This is a really cool feature. In fact there is a sticker on the Blu-ray case issues $5.00 rebate for purchasing the app and the movie, so it makes this a total no-brainer if you have an iPad.

There aren’t a ton of HD special features for this release but what is included is great and will satisfy fans. There are about 13 minutes of “Lost Animations” which is shared by co-director Terry Gilliam. This is exclusive for this Blu-ray release. Included are “Meanwhile, King Arthur & Sir Bedevere…”, “Elephant & Castle; Run Away!”, “The Tale of Sir Robin” and “The Tale of Sir Lancelot”. I am a big fan of Gilliam’s animation and really enjoyed this. There are also almost 20 minutes of high def outtakes & extended scenes including “Sir Robin & The Three Headed Knight”, “Constitutional Peasants”, “Get On With It!”, “Shorter Takes”, “Old Crone, Wedding Slaughter”, and “Lots of Very Silly Bits”.

A major highlight of this Blu-ray also comes from the audio commentary tracks. The first features directors Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones as they discuss the film’s production. It ranges from everything including locations to the cast and the film’s cult following. It is also funny and very entertaining. The next commentary includes the remaining Python with John Cleese, Eric Idle, and Michael Palin. It is much lighter than the first production filled commentary. The group rehash memories and just seem like they are having fun. I would have liked to heard the madness of having the whole group do a commentary track. Overall though these are both equally good and worth checking out for sure.

The rest of the special features are presented in standard definition aka DVD quality. “Quest for the Holy Grail Locations” runs just over 45 minutes and shows Michael Palin and Terry Jones touring the shooting locations today. “Lego Knights” is a recreation of the scene “Camelot’s a silly place” in Lego format. “Japanese Version” includes two classic scenes dubbed in Japanese “The French Castle” and “The Knights of Ni”. “Coconuts” is a laugh riot teaching the equine style. “BBC Film Night” is a archive report from December 19, 1974 including an inside look at the making of the movie, interviews and footage from the set. There is also three sing-a-longs includes to add during the film for “Knights of the Round Table”, “Sir Robin”, and “Monks Chant”. Highly recommended…at least for the first two. Lastly thre is a photo gallery, the US 2001 Re-Release Trailer and the Holy Grail Blu-ray Credits included.

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