I choose the Blue Meanies at the Courtyard Cafe in Champeign-Urbana (Fall 2000) as the best show I have ever attended, with a very close runner-up tied between Rancid and Gwar. While all of these great shows were marked by very enthusiastic physical crowd participation, Rancid's sweaty circle pits and Gwar's gushing guts couldn't beat the wide smiles and diversity of dancing styles making up the amoebic mass that occupied the Courtyard's floor that night. I had become increasingly intrerested with ska-punk, but had not yet heard the Meanies. In anticipation for the show I looked up some songs, but the studio recordings left me unprepared for a confrontation with the punch of their energetic, live hardcore sound. At times pressed against people on all sides, at other times in skanking and moshing circles, what defined the night was that each of the wet, sticky, bouncing people had a face with a beaming smile aimed toward the stage as they shouted the choruses with waving fists. It was a very inclusive setting, as the songs were easy to pick up on. The scream-filled music was danceable, and the intimacy ran in all directions. It felt as though the entire venue was united and having the time of their lives. The Blue Meanies stated at the conclusion of the show that this was their best show ever, and I do not doubt that.