Reel Big Fish, Girl Talk dazzle modest crowd at SEFCU Arena

  The cheers filled SEFCU Arena before the show started: "Reel Big Fish! Reel Big Fish! Reel Big Fish!"
   Ten minutes later, the crowd's excitement was rewarded when the band they wanted took the stage. For the next two-and-a-half hours, ska veterans Reel Big Fish and mash-up king Girl Talk treated the crowd of roughly 1,200 University at Albany students to an unforgettable night of music.
   At first glance, it was clear that the turnout was poor and it didn't seem likely that the show would have the same feel with an undersized crowd. Despite this, things kicked off with a bang when Reel Big Fish led off with  "Take on Me," a cover off of its live album "Our Live Album Is Better Than Your Live Album."
   Along with the start of its set came a burst of life into the crowd in the form of crowd surfing, singing and naturally, plenty of skanking. This first burst of energy kept the crowd going through "Everything Sucks" and "Ban the Tube Top," which were not as strong as the opening song.
   The atmosphere was refilled with ska music and vibes as Reel Big Fish played crowd favorite "I Want Your Girlfriend." This was followed by the second of three covers of the night, which was a great rendition of "Brown Eyed Girl," one of the bands favorite and most common cover songs.
   The cover got the crowd excited and they kept it going strong with seven original songs in a row that included "New Version Of You", "She Has A Girlfriend Now" and "Trendy."
   Throughout the run of original songs, the crowd added to the strong atmosphere with lots of dancing, singing and even some moshing.
   The band finished off on top with "Nothin' But a Good Time" and crowd favorites "Where Have You Been," "Beer," and "Sell Out."
   Reel Big Fish used a strong set to come out and impress those in attendance, but the climax of the night came from the incredible display put on by Girl Talk.
   Only seconds after Gregg Michael Gillis walked on stage, all in attendance realized why he is famous for his live performances.
   From that point on, the atmosphere in the arena was sky high and no one could be seen standing still. The circus that is a Girl Talk show was in full gear with students dancing on stage, toilet paper rolls flying through the air, and a light show to accompany the incredible music mixes.
   Girl Talk also made use of the screen in the background to add to the show, sending messages to the crowd including "put your cell phones in the air" and "get louder."
   Girl Talk lived up to his lofty reputation with incredible showmanship. From start to finish, there were few points where the atmosphere wasn't electrified. But whenever Gillis felt it was needed, he would jump up on the table where his laptops sat and scream into the microphone, forcing the crowd into even more pandemonium.
   When he wasn't using his laptop to make inventive mixes, he was dancing with the kids on stage or crowd surfing or even dancing in the crowd.
   When Gillis was at his laptop, he didn't stop moving in his black sweatpants, Nike dunks and white shirt that he took off halfway through the show.
   At certain points during the performance Girl Talk played crowd favorites that provided the climaxes for the entire night. The response was strong to "Juicy," "Shout," and "Don't Stop Believin'." But even when these were not the songs playing, there wasn't a dull moment as the crowd fed off of the unstoppable energy of Girl Talk.
   Despite a turnout that left more to be desired, Reel Big Fish and Girl Talk refused to let it affect their performance. Those in attendance joined them and created an electric atmosphere with skanking, dancing and an excited vibe in the room.
   Reel Big Fish put on a strong show playing a setlist that allowed a casual fan to sing along with most of their songs and that appealed to any person who enjoys ska.
   Girl Talk proved what he proved at previous schools before coming to UAlbany: That his performances are deserving of all the hype they receive.