The Vandals

Like the Vandals? Hate the Vandals? Don't care about the Vandals? This DVD, the ninth in the "Show Must Go Off!" series, will do nothing to change your opinion either way. Joe Escalante and company rip through 22 fast, silly punk rock songs about such important social issues as soccer moms and their unappreciated honesty, pleasing the capacity crowd at Disney's HOB. The video-quality here is quite impressive, as has become standard in the series. The lighting during the show looks incredible; so much so that it almost feels uncomfortable. The Vandals' music doesn't exactly sound like the kind of music that should be played in a lovely venue with a hardwood floor on the stage and elaborate lighting. The sound is another impressive aspect of this disc, and given that it is being released with a bonus audio CD of the entire concert, this isn't a bad thing. The audio commentary is as funny as a commentary can be expected, but the band proves to quiet clever, at times. An interesting edition to this release is the "Freese-cam," which shows the foot peddle of drummer Josh Freese (Devo, A Perfect Circle, etc.) for the entire length of the performance. It's an interesting idea, meant to appease fans of Freese's percussive skill, but it falls somewhat flat. Overall, this release is in line with past "The Show Must Go Off!" discs. While not offering anything exciting or new, it is guaranteed to please fans, which is really who it should be for anyway. (Kung Fu, www.kungfurecords.com)