Badfish brought Sublime alive at the House of Blues Cleveland

I headed to the House of Blues Cleveland this past Friday night knowing little about the musical adventure I was about to embark on. I knew I was going to see a Sublime cover band. Badfish had been on my radar for quite some time—I was always meaning to check them out, but never quite succeeded, until this past weekend. 

Sublime is one of those favorite bands from my youth whose music always puts a smile on my face and gets me grooving. They were part of the anthem that was life for me, and many others, in the 90s. I remember a magic mix tape handed to me by my best friend in high school—the names of the tracks scrawled in purple pen on the paper insert. I played that tape countless times, burning the songs into the permanent banks of my memory and experience. 

The untimely death of lead singer Bradley Nowell in 1996 added to the list of impactful musicians of my youth we lost directly or indirectly to the stresses of their fame. I was blessed to have had the gift of witnessing the power of Jerry Garcia and Kurt Cobain in their element on stage, but never got that opportunity with Bradley. With his death, so came the death of Sublime as a group—but his spirit continued through the music.

As I entered the House of Blues Cleveland on Friday night, the dense crowd that filled the place impressed me. The first of two openers, Roots of Creation, were on stage and I was instantly drawn in to the amazing horn weaving through high-energy, intoxicating rhythms. I knew it was going to be a good night. 

Before the second group took to the stage, word that the show was now sold out murmured through the crowd. The energy and excitement was as dense as the bodies filling the space. 

When the Bumpin Uglies appeared on stage, it was clearly apparent the excitement was not just for Badfish. As they began their set, the crowd roared their approval and lifted their voices to join them in delivering the obvious favorite Bad Decisions. The band on stage plowed forward through a raucous and lively set that also revealed the diversity of their repertoire. Including members from both other bands, as well as local musical artist Prince Ish, they entwined powerful lyrical freestyles, emotive vocals, reggae vibes and driving punk forces into a performance that left the audience wanting more. 

When the house lights dimmed for the imminent arrival of Badfish, we were met with a stage bathed in mist and blue light and the sound of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody wafting from the speakers. The audience lifted their voices in powerful unity with the recording and became the performance to the empty stage before them. As the song drew to a close, Badfish emerged before the audience. Reminding the fans that it was Bradley Nowell birthday, February 22^nd, they lifted their voices, drinks and instruments to pay tribute to the man that made Sublime the entity for which we were all gathered to celebrate.

The artists on stage dove into a set that brought that old mix tape of mine alive—performing favorite, after favorite with precision, power and passion. While the players on that stage were not Sublime, they are incredible musicians and artist dedicated to recreating the sound and experience of Sublime and presenting it so the spirit of Bradley Nowell and the music he lived and died by can live on. Their recreation enables the masses, who never had the opportunity to witness the original, to experience the spirit. Lead Singer, Pat Downes took a moment on stage to share the experience of performing a show in which the parents of Bradley Nowell were in the audience—after the show his parents emotionally thanked the band for carrying on the spirit of their son and his music. 

I went into the night on Friday, excited to hear some of my favorite old Sublime tunes performed on stage in a way I had never had the opportunity to experience. The performances of all three bands at the House of Blues Cleveland that night took me on a trip down memory lane and brought amazing music to my awareness all in a single line up. Throughout the night the players from all three bands intermingled on stage, creating a cohesion and camaraderie that tied the experience into a powerful night of impassioned music. By the end, I left energized and fulfilled with appreciation for the new and old and how it all can come together as one.