Photo Gallery: Dance Hall Crashers with Fishbone • House of Blues • Chicago

Brassneck | April 19, 2026 | 0 Comments

Dance Hall Crashers with Fishboone

House of Blues

April 18, 2026

Chicago, IL

Recap and photos by Curt Baran

The Ska genre has seen itself move through several different stages, or “waves.” Originally, the ska style was derived from reggae or rocksteady in the 1950s. It was popular in Jamaica, but stateside remained mostly unknown.

In the late ‘70s, British bands like The Specials, Madness and the 2-Tone scene brought it to a then contemporary audience, blending the music with both political and social commentary.

That era earned itself the “Second Wave” title, barely maintaining it’s popularity for the remainder of the decade.

Then in mid ‘8os and deep into the ‘90s, ska’s “Third Wave” found a new generation of acolytes who fused the music with similar socio-political agendas but also added punk rock’s aggression to the recipe.

So Chicago’s House Of Blues found itself hosting its own Third Wave revival this past weekend. West coasters Dance Hall Crashers and Fishbone have hit the road together and proved immediately the the genre still has legs. Both bands delivered high energy sets filled with hits from the fringes of what would eventually become known as Alternative Rock. But what was even more striking than the performances themselves, was the generational makeup of the audience.

Sure, the lifers are still showing up, adorned in Pork Pie hats, checker print skirts and “50s librarian glasses frames. But they seem to be dragging the youngsters along with them. Teens and twenty-something’s could also be easily spotted throughout the venue.

Skanking along to their elders’ soundtrack begged the question: Is a Fouth Wave ska revival on the horizon?