Saturday night at Otto’s Main Room, Halloween got started early with three rock bands reveling in the twisted.

The showcase featured headliners Gabba Gabba Hey, a Ramones tribute band. Dressed in black leather jackets and wigs, they sped through a greatest hits version of the punk legends, including “Blitzkrieg Bop,” “Sheena is a Punk Rocker” and “I Wanna Be Sedated.”

A small crowd of about 20 enthusiastically danced and pumped their fists in the air to their favorites.

Still, one might agree that The Ramones are one of the easier bands to cover with their timeless three-chord, ‘in-and-out in two minutes’ formula.

Gabba Gabba Hey reached a meta-level of cover bands when they covered “California Sun,” and “Let’s Dance,” two early ’60s rock ’n’ roll songs The Ramones covered in their career. Thus, they are a cover band playing another band’s covers.

Gabba Gabba Hey’s performance was not bad but could have been better.
During “California Sun,” pseudo-Johnny Ramone (Billy Ramone) botched a signature lick, and pseudo Joey Ramone (Donny Ramone), didn’t follow through on the melody to the chorus of “Sheena is a Punk Rocker.”

Originally, Iron Horse, a Motorhead tribute band was scheduled to play but had to cancel at the last minute. In their place, the Gruesomes of Hammond, Ind. played.

Not to be confused with the Canadian garage rock band of the ’80s, the Gruesomes played a blend of goth-metal with the spirit of punk.

One song called “She’s in My Room” began with a frightening reading of the comparably nicer Beach Boys song, “In My Room” before piling through a tune about various forms of sex.

Starting things off after 10 p.m., The Aquaholics adorned the stage with cardboard cut-outs of nightmare-like cartoon monsters. Between their mainly instrumental set of rockabilly and surf guitar songs, they bantered in a low, guttural, affected voice.

With Halloween more than a week away, all three bands helped set the scene for several other metal, goth, punk and cover band acts coming to DeKalb in the coming days.

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