I see you but you certainly don't see me. You are lost in the moment - but also enveloped in 30 years worth of memories holding you tight. Time has washed you clean of the dangerous neighborhoods and pawing boys that frequented the clubs of your past and left you with only that exhilarating feeling of shakin your bacon that consumed your early years. Maybe this concert t-shirt is a little snug now and maybe getting your hair to look "cute" might have become a lost cause, but fuck it if you aren't dancing tonight! You'll even throw a bone to the poor chap still wearing his porkpie hat and cut a rug with him like you were king and queen of the ska prom.

Sweaty and disheveled, but sporting a wide grin, you adjust your skirt and then quickly scribble a note out on a scrap of paper from your purse. Taking a wad of chewing gum you have been smacking for three hours, you affix it to the club door with an act filled with purpose. It reads outward - clearly intended for the person arriving at the venue the following evening rather than anyone in attendance at that moment.

I strain to view it as we are pushed into the night, a full house emptied onto the wet pavement. Peering back, I can finally make it out:

"Dear Youth of DC - This city still knows how to dance. Start pulling your weight! xoxo"

Playing for nearly two hours, and well into their third decade of existence, English Beat (really frontman Dave Wakeling and collected sidemen) managed to get 800 or so people with a median age of 40something to bust ass on the dance floor non stop for 20 minutes. Not large pockets of the crowd, which happened all night, but the entire place. I couldn't check to see if the door staff and bartenders were in on the fun as I was too busy dancing myself.

Now, that's not to say that it was pretty. But it was admirable none the less. In fact, the bulk of the crowd seemed dying to move to the motion at the first snare snap. I was having a good enough time that I had to ponder how to really evaluate this show. In truth, it is a nostalgia fest, no different than say seeing Journey at Merriweather. And just in the same way that those guys should really wear proper Dad jeans and get a haircut, you feel like some of the two tone raps and calls for "irie" seem silly and long since played out, especially in a city that had a huge second wave ska scene where it seemed played out then. But these are the guys that all of those groups were ripping off and just because they are still doing it doesn't make it sad - it just makes it fun. (Same goes for Journey.) So forgive me if my berth of slack is wide as we move forward.

As much as I might be able to slide into the demographic of a lot of this audience, one thing I can't do is show up insanely early for a show (and this is from a guy who is usually an hour before doors open at a lot of places.) Walking in a little after 8:30, I had already missed half of Fishbone's set! And an opening band had gone on before them - I imagine right at 7 on the nose. I wasn't allowed to shoot the Bone but it wouldn't have harmed their rep any, as everyone was in fine form, with some eschewing underwear, but thankfully holding on to that last suspender. I had seen them a number of times before but the most recent might have actually been on the Santa Monica Pier in 88 maybe? You know what has changed since then? They have taken what was a manic speedfest and turned it into a harder hitting massive funk machine.

I was disappointed that the set leaned so greatly on the late period heavier material, but you couldn't say they didn't play like it was their first time winning over a crowd and they hit and they hit you hard: Square in the gut and laying some heavy lumber. The power was evident in every note they put down.

Bringing on HR and doing a quick Bad Brains tribute was a huge highlight, and it said a lot that the crowd seemed to appreciate the moment. It also says something about the setlist that this portion didn't stick out musically (no poptastic cuts? Really? I can't shoot HR? Seriously?!? Like in my youth - you can't have everything you want.)

It turned out that we needed all of the extra time available as Wakeling and crew would play like the night would never end. I could never have forgotten how jam-packed with classics their catalog is, and thankfully they didn't leave much behind. Bringing a party mood, the boys got right down to business.

Mostly filled with chugging versions of the likes of "Hands Off She's Mine," and "Can't Get Used to Losing You" and a pretty bracing blaze through "Two Swords," the set is a big winner. There are some bumpy sections however. "Click Click" is the first time something goes really jammy and can't match the contained chaos of the original - and it suffers from an odd keyboard drone. But who gives a shit when you pull out a gem like "Save It For Later" right afterwards?

"I Confess" elicits the required couple nuzzling, with lovers singing the lyrics to one another. I don't think I have ever tried to imagine what so many people looked like dancing at their own weddings before. I also don't think I have ever had this happen at a concert and not been horribly annoyed. Tonight, I am not annoyed. We are ALL in a good mood and it is a damn good song.

I do have a quibble soon after though as they actually lose the crowd unnecessarily on the stretch towards the end by going to slowdown mode with non-essential material and a weak keyboard solo before righting things a little with "Stand Down Margaret" (and holy shit does that song show the collective age.)

Such a long set is sure to bring out down periods rife with banter. Two Tone Tony (this editions version of Ranking Roger) fills most of this void in prodding the crowd along, but Wakeling kills time at one point by asking the assembled to call out their favored english football sides, and much to my amazement/annoyance a lot of people actually comply and somehow just keep running down teams - like they expect Dave to hear them, and only them, and nod in agreement. That awkward talk up aside, "Tenderness" makes you realize how hearing a giant pop song in a full club can make you go a little dizzy. The song sports no fewer than three massive hooks.

Massive I say! (Not to mention that the keyboardist is vital to one of them, so perhaps I can forgive him the earlier bleeps and drones. It is a forgiving evening after all.)

The big one-two punch that causes the final eruption of hip shaking and foot shuffling is an epic "Ranking Full Stop," a tune that has always licked it's chops at it's false finishes, and then the inevitable (but still so so so so amazing) "Mirror In The Bathroom" that perfectly marries their riff happy take on ska with the sax pulling you through the dark and narrow corridors.

It's a song that always had a sinister and dark element to it (80's drug references included) but now lacks that edge - yet still brings out the need to seriously move your ass. Now it's an anthem for a good time rather than an evening filled with the unexpected and possible danger.

When "I'll Take You There" slinks out, the intentions are overt and clear.

No complications of youth, just a simple sway and smile.

Previously in Live DC:

• PHOTOS: 30 Seconds to Mars @ SONAR (brought to you by Maybelline)
• Live DC: Autolux @ Black Cat brought to you by Moldex Ear Plugs
• Live DC: Dominique Young Unique @ DC9
• Rock The Bells Report
• PHOTOS: Family Hemerlein August Edition
• LiveDC: Matisyahu @ 930 Club
• PHOTOS: Scissor Sisters @ DAR
• Live DC: Tears for Fears @ 9:30 Club
• Live DC: Vivian Girls / Brett and the Whispers / Heavy Cream @ Comet
• LiveDC: Crystal Castles @ 930 Club