Show: The Specials
Date: March 18, 2013
Venue: Club Nokia
City: Los Angeles, CA
The Specials
Photos by Nicolas Bates
Written by Dan Sinclair
On the evening of March 18, 2013, while you were probably busy posting something stupid on Facebook, the luckiest music fans in Los Angeles witnessed music history. Yes, for the first time in nearly 30 years, the legendary two-toners The Specials were in town and played in front of a packed house at L.A. Live’s Club Nokia. Even a few fellow musicians were in attendance, including No Doubt’s Tony Kanal and The Offspring’s Dexter Holland (uh-oh. I really hope he didn’t read my review of Days Go By).
There is no standard age of “rude boys” in attendance for tonight’s show with some as young as their 20s, others as old as 60 and many others in between. All don their favorite pair of suspenders and choice brimmed hat and are ready to… ONE, TWO, GO! The lights go down and an early rendition of “Enjoy Yourself” is heard over the speakers.
As the recording music dies down, The Specials are met with loud cheers as they take the stage. They go right into “Do the Dog,” as fans travel back to their childhood in the ‘70s or ‘80s… or even some, perhaps, were taken all the way back to last Wednesday when they finally realized the stickers on the back of their neighbor’s old beat-up car were names of bands and gave The Specials a whirl on YouTube. It’s really hard to tell the difference as all seem to love the band equally, singing along and dancing their variously-aged asses off to “(Dawning of a) New Era,” “Gangstas” and “It’s Up to You.”
And while the band’s founder, Jerry Dammer, is noticeably absent on stage, with newcomer Nik Torp bouncing up and down behind the keys in his place, most of the band’s original members are all up there with just as much energy as they had back in 1979; including singers Terry Hall and Lynval Golding, lead guitar player Roddy Radiation, bassist Horace Panter and drummer John Bradbury. Age is not a factor as the rhythmic, politically-driven melodies are all on beat and loud as fuck.
And it really is hard to say I’ve seen a more enthusiastic crowd in a long time as “Monkey Man” and “Blank Expression” keep them going. Even the people that came alone are dancing in place to every song, singing every word.
Lynval asks the crowd to dance to “Hey Little Rich Girl” for good friend, Amy Winehouse. “This is one of Amy’s favorite songs.” Everyone is more than happy to oblige.
Next up, everybody sings, “Just because you’re nobody doesn’t mean you’re no good” during “Doesn’t Make it Alright,” before Lynval reminds everyone that “Concrete Jungle” was featured in the recent Oscar-winning Argo. Apparently, Terry Hall isn’t a fan. “Aw, it was fucking awful. What’s that guy’s name—not Ben Stiller? Yeah, Ben Affleck. Fucking terrible man. Now Dumb and Dumber—that’s a fucking movie.”
If these anti-Affleck remarks bother anyone, they quickly forget once “Friday Night, Saturday Morning” starts and everybody becomes the greatest singer and dancer in the world again. And this continues for “Stereotype,” “Man at C & A” and “Do Nothing.” And though it didn’t seem possible, Club Nokia gets even louder for “A Message to You Rudy,” “Nite Club” and “Little Bitch” as not a sole band member or fan is ready to quit, proving tonight’s events were not “Too Much Too Young,” which came next.
And just like on 1980’s More Specials, the set closes with a reprise of “Enjoy Yourself.” This one, of course, is live. And looking around, it’s clear that the crowd is still enjoying itself, not caring at all if it’s later than they think.
The Specials wait for the encore to play the familiar and eerily hypnotic “Ghost Town” much to the crowd’s delight. Then they leave the stage again briefly before return to finishing up with “Guns of Navarone.”
Pretty sure that everyone in attendance felt the historic significance of tonight’s special event, but even those who didn’t still had a hell of a lot of fun. This writer has a message for you, Rudies: you better catch The Specials sometime on this tour as it is highly unlikely these guys will do it again in another 30 years.