Got Jokes? Entertainment and NOVA 535 hosted the season two finale of their Big Bang Show this past Thursday, June 3, with a lineup of five of the Bays most impressive talents vying for the $1,000 cash prize.
This reporter was sure that Mark Byrne The Balloon Guy secured first place when he climbed inside a six-foot-tall pink balloon and crawled out in a skin-tight pink jumpsuit. But the audience thought better when it cheered St. Petersburg jam/punk band Mighty Mongo (pictured) into the lead.
Mongos ten-minute set featured overtones of Sublime and 311 with a splash of Blink 182 and a djembe-playing friend in a gorilla suit who, strangely enough, didnt take away from the bands ability to hold its audiences attention.
We have high energy, non-stop, says Lindsay Vitolla, the bands bombshell lead singer and occasional keyboard player. Our band is all about making sure that everyone is having a good time.
Indeed, one could feel the good vibes just flowing through the room dude. Mongos poppy hooks and slow, Grateful Dead-like breakdowns had everyone swaying their heads through the imaginary purple haze, including yours truly, who wrote down the following note mid-set:
Lots of good energy. Even if its not your kind of music, you have to like them, just because theyre likeable people.
Runner-up comedian Whodi had the audience rolling when he took the stage and immediately dropped the