received generally favorable reviews from critics, some of which praised the inclusion of other styles and genres into the band's sound.

[8] In the midst of this, the band went on tour with James Valentine of Square playing guitar as frontman Aaron Barrett had broken his hand.

[15] Sessions continued between December 2001 and January 2002;[16] the following month, the band were recording cover versions of some songs, such as "Boss DJ" (1994) by Sublime, in Hollywood, California.

Sullivan and Homme mixed the tracks at World Class Audio, before the album was mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound in New York City.

[24] CMJ New Music Report writer Brooke Mongomery said it tackles the topic of heartbreak by "excorcising your rejection demons and embracing the 'loser' identity, and being much happier in the end" as a result.

Tyler Jones of Spring Heeled Jack contributed trumpet to "What Are Friends For", "Valerie" and "Boss DJ".

opens with "Good Thing", which features percussion from Ryland Steen of Square; Jones said it was Barrett's "first happy song", and that it referred to being in Reel Big Fish.

[4][19][25] The stadium anthem song "Rock 'n Roll Is Bitchin'" evokes the work of Spinal Tap.

[19][27][30] The penultimate track, "Brand New Hero" also touches on alternative rock, while the closing song, "Drunk Again", takes influence from Lionel Richie and includes a string arrangement from Nic.

[33][34] After one show, Barrett fell down a flight of stairs and injured his elbow, resulting in Valentine covering guitar duties again.

[36][37] In September 2001, it was announced that the Zomba Group had acquired Mojo Records; alongside this, it was reported that Reel Big Fish's next album would appear in early 2002.

[15][38] They said this move was part of a "push to diversify [Zomba's] artist roster and beef up its catalog offerings".

[40] They toured with Goldfinger in October 2001; for this trek, Steen covered for Reel Big Fish's drummer Carlos De La Garza.

[15][41] The following month, Jones was announced as his replacement; Spring Heeled Jack had previously toured with Reel Big Fish in 1998.

[47] In early June 2002, "Good Thing", "Ban the Tube Top", "What Are Friends For" were posted on the band's website.

[3] The video for the song opens with Barrett singing outside a café, and later behind a display case, intermittently cutting to the band performing in a room with mannequins.

posted on the band's website included a spoken-word introduction that was left off the album version as Barrett felt it "would get old".

[18][51] The latter had been previously available two years ago as part of a benefit album for the Heal the Bay advocacy group.

[18] Following this, they appeared at the Reading Festival in the UK; the band pulled out of the accompanying Leeds date due to delays and no other act letting them switch stage times with them.

[56] Between March and May 2003, the band headlined Skate and Surf Fest, appeared at the Ska Summit and Download Festivals, and toured with Home Grown and Los City Angels.

[57][58][59][60] On June 14, 2003, Garza left the band to focus on his family and was replaced by Justin Ferreria, who previously played with Barrett in the Forces of Evil.

[21] Since this was in the middle of a tour, the band forgoed an audition process and simply asked him if he could play the drums and had a passport.

[63] Between June and August, the band embarked on a headlining North American tour; Zebrahead, Wakefield and the Matches appeared on all of the shows while Gob and Riddlin' Kids supported on select dates.

[67] The Show Must Go Off video album, subtitled Live at the House of Blues, was released on November 18, 2003, which was promoted with a signing session the same day.

Erlewine said the shift in sound "may distress some die-hard fans, but it actually results in a varied, infectious record that isn't just their most diverse album, it's their best".

[26] Adrian Zupp of Rolling Stone complimented the mix of styles, and called it a "forceful and imaginative enough album to make lot of folks sit up and take notice".

The horns are still there, there are a number of great ska guitar riffs, and most importantly the sense of fun the band covey is still there".

[27] Steininger felt that "without the ska, they seem two dimensional, but have enough sugary hooks to compensate and deliver an enjoyable treat".

[23] Soundthesirens' Kamtin Mohager wrote that it "changes everybody's mood as they listen to this band create such happy and uplifting music, though sometimes the lyrics are bitter and harsh".

[4] Eric R. Danton of The Mercury News wrote that the "upbeat, energetic music mostly subverts the gloomy lyrics and only enhances the tongue-in-cheek songs".