Save Ferris
w/ The Hippos & Assorted Jellybeans
The Glass House in Pomona, California
June 20, 1997
Written by Evan Zelig


In the battle among the record companies to get the new and upcoming bands, it is now very clear to me that Epic Records is a big winner with their signing of Save Ferris, the local favorites from Orange County, California. 

Save Ferris, after being an opening band for many of the large Ska bands in California were now playing a sold out, headlining show at the Glass House in Pomona, California. Ska/Punk favorites Assorted Jellybeans, The Hippos, and Pharmaceutical Bandits were also on the bill for this evening, making the ten dollar ticket well worth the price. 

The show started early around 8:30PM that evening with a great set from Pharmaceutical Bandits. Although their set time was only set for thirty minutes, they did not fail to get the crowd of the Glass House moving. 

The next band up, The Hippos, once again lived up to everyone's expectations. This band, which has been a long time favorite of the staff of Concert Direct, really got the crowd jumping and rocking with their amazing stage presence. They played all of their familiar songs from their Forget The World album on Stiffdog / Fueled By Ramen records. Their set included "Diane," "Please," "Celebrate," my favorite "Irie," and their cover of "So Lonely" by The Police. 

The Hippos also enticed the crowd by giving them free stuff like promotional CDs, balloons, and foam hands with the insignia "The Hippos - Rock On!" It was a terrific set by a bunch of young, talented musicians. 

Assorted Jellybeans were the next band up to play their thirty-minute set, but compared to the previous set by The Hippos, Assorted Jellybeans did not live up to my expectations. I had heard a lot about this band, but their distorted sounds and muffled lyrics took my attention away from their performance. However, I speak only for myself, as it was obvious that many people in the audience truly had a great time watching Assorted Jellybeans. 

After all of the opening bands entertained the crowd for an hour and a half, the scene was set for today's hottest ska / swing / pop band - Save Ferris. After being introduced by Tazy Phillips, DJ of the Ska Parade show on KUCI and KCXX 103.9, Save Ferris took the stage in front of 1,300 screaming fans. 

From the moment they took the stage, the energy did not stop as Save Ferris played a full set of songs from their current album as well as new songs that will be on their upcoming album. Their set featured all their hits including "You And Me," "Sorry My Friend," "For You," and their current single being played on the radio, "The World Is New." 

Along with these songs, Save Ferris also played "Artificial Life" by Operation Ivy and gave the audience a taste of what to expect on their upcoming album by playing their newest songs "Goodbye," "Little Differences," "Can't Stop," and "S.Y.L.S.B." (which Monique Powell later told Concert Direct stands for Support Your Local Ska Band). 

Save Ferris ended their hour and a half long set with "Under 21," only to come back after five minutes for a terrific, high energy encore featuring their cover of "Come On Eileen" and "I Know." 

The evening ended on a positive note with Monique Powell introducing the band, then introducing herself, and then finally thanking everyone for helping them become so successful. Powell also expressed her amazement of selling out the Glass House. "We used to come here to watch other bands play," she said, "Now we fuckin' sold this place out! Thank you!" 

And with that, Save Ferris left the stage, leaving everyone in attendance extremely glad that they were among the lucky 1,300 people to get tickets to this show. 


http://www.concertdirect.com/reviews/save_ferris_glass_house.html