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Kick Out the Jams

The Aquabats at the Huntridge, Nov. 22

A lot of people seem to be under the impression that the Aquabats are actually superheroes moonlighting as a marginally talented ska-punk sextet, but if so, the band is making one surprisingly amateurish mistake. Generally speaking, the alter ego--whether it be millionaire playboy or mild-mannered newspaper reporter--is intended to conceal the identity of the latent crime fighter (as if righting wrongs and seeking justice for all might be something to be ashamed of). Therefore, when the Aquabats storm the stage in their swim-cap helmets and pudding-dispenser utility belts, they are essentially committing superhero suicide, willfully betraying their own secret identities.

Besides that, the Aquabats are far too liberal with their top-secret hand signal, which is formed by making peace signs with both hands and crossing them to form an "A." As a rule, only the mayor and the drunken Irish police commissioner should be privy to this exclusive gesture, and it should only be used when a mad scientist or mutant supervillain or corporate stooge threatens the well-being of the city. And yet, by the way the 500-plus kids were throwing it around last Saturday in the Huntridge, you would have thought that Mr. Malicious had flipped the switch on the doomsday machine.

Still, for all their superhero flaws, the Aquabats put on one heck of a show. It is, in the words of Aquabats frontman Christian Jacobs (the Bat Commander), "super rad" and "totally awesome." During their hourlong set, they battle a toilet-paper mummy, a parking cone-wielding chicken man and a horribly disfigured college mascot. At the same time, Jacobs--a hybrid of Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh and the original TV Batman, Adam West--teaches the kids to stay off drugs and to love themselves for who they are. All that and the Aquabats play music, too--a kind of boilerplate ska a la Reel Big Fish and the Squirrel Nut Zippers.

If it sounds too wholesome for words, it is. Perhaps nowhere else this side of the Cartoon Network will you see parent and child standing together in matching masks and tights. Nevertheless, there's something remarkably charming about the Aquabats, something that captivates young and old alike. For example, when the mummy comes out to menace the band, Jacobs tears away the monster's single-ply shroud and exposes him as a human. Afterward, the weepy mummy-man, having been mock-throttled by the band, comes to the front of the stage and whimpers, "All I ever wanted to do was be scary."

For a moment, Jacobs continues his taunts, until from the back of the crowd, a little girl yells, "Stop making him sad!" It's the kind of sickly-sweet thing that makes you want to puke and cry at the same time. So, three cheers for the Aquabats. They might not save the world, but they truly did save the day.--Newt Briggs