By Jacob NelsonThe Daily Northwestern

I saw two musical tributes last Friday: one to Sublime, the other to robots. And in all honesty, I really couldn’t ask for more.

Making the last Purple Line Express train downtown, a friend and I headed to the House of Blues a little after 6 p.m., where the renowned Sublime tribute band Bad Fish would be performing. On the quick train ride there I tried to hide my ignorance of any Sublime music aside from “Date Rape,” “The Wrong Way,” “Santeria,” and “What I Got,” and spent most of the trip listening to my accomplice belt as many of their lyrics as he could before our stop — a not-so-subtle indication of what was to come.

Bad Fish began a few years ago in New England, and quickly grew reputable for mastering the ability to replicate Sublime’s live performances. Their devotion is palpable, especially when the band plays covers of songs that Sublime covered themselves when they performed live. Yet it isn’t the devotion that allows Bad Fish to sound so alike to their predecessor – it’s the raw talent. For example, the band’s lead singer and the guitarist manage to strum guitar notes in a way that makes them sound like DJ scratches that Sublime used in their music.

What I learned the hard way about the House of Blues is there are no regulations about moshing. As Bad Fish transitioned from their first song, “Bad Fish” (a popular Sublime song from the album 40 Oz. to Freedom) into a faster one, I suddenly felt the floor beneath me jump as about a dozen huge guys went flying into each other in the middle of the crowd. These human-oxen hybrids would slam into people outside the pit, and these angry spectators would push them back in. My friend was one such spectator, who pushed one of these monsters so hard he nearly tumbled over on the other side. It was then that I saw what I’m sure was a glint of insanity in my friend’s eyes, and I realized this show would be completely crazy.

Nearly two hours later, I felt as close to seeing Sublime as I ever would, which was fine with me since I never loved them to begin with. Jumping back on the El, we decided to head over to Schuba’s for a quiet end to a loud evening. What we saw was Eric Elbogen singing about New York City, love, robots, and vampires.

Armed with an electric guitar and a drum machine, Elbogen managed to completely recreate the melodic and atmospheric sounds from his albums, while maintaining his calm, soft vocal style throughout, despite the fact that he usually performs live with two other people, who only decided to stop touring with him about a month ago.

“It still is very nerve-racking because you know the focus is all on you,” Elbogen said after the show when I caught up with him. “But it’s also thrilling in a way that I haven’t felt since I did my first tour, and I feel like I’m really giving a lot for that hour that I’m up there every night. It’s a good exercise for me.”

Elbogen began Say Hi to Your Mom in 2002, and while he’s always done most of the recording for his four albums by himself, he had been touring with two other band mates for the past two years. What’s unique about Say Hi To Your Mom, however, aside from its odd name and the fact that it’s really only one guy, is that its soft, quirky music has caught the attention of publications like the New York Times as well as bands like Nada Surf, who Say Hi to Your Mom toured with last year.

“It was everything you dream of when you first start playing music,” Elbogen said of the Nada Surf tour. “My hands down favorite show ever actually happened in Chicago when we played (with Nada Surf) at the Metro. To step out on that stage, in front of like I think there were a thousand people there, that was really amazing.”

Elbogen plans to move to Seattle shortly after the tour and begin working on his fifth album. But long before that happens, my friend text-messages me: “Ear rape is occurring.” Apparently, the band on stage now is lacking, compared to everything else we’ve seen tonight.

We said our goodbyes to music for the time being and get some Rodeo Cheeseburgers at Burger King. I got all that I asked for that night.

Jacob Nelson can be reached at [email protected].