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Rock Stars Ditch Jack Daniels for Quinoa as Chef Goes on Tour

Horace Panter plays center stage with The Specials. The bassist likes a light meal before shows because he gets nervous. Photographer: Rob Ball/WireImage
Horace Panter plays center stage with The Specials. The bassist likes a light meal before shows because he gets nervous. Photographer: Rob Ball/WireImage

We're backstage at the Roundhouse in north London, and it's shortly before showtime.

The auditorium is filling with members of the 3,000 audience who have booked for the second of three sell-out concerts by The Specials. The ska band, which grew out of punk, is going strong 35 years after its first hit, "Gangsters."