Earlier this month, Everclear announced that they would be celebrating 30 years of one of their most successful albums, Sparkle And Fade, with a nationwide tour in the fall. They plan to play the album in full each night, but before that tour kicks off, they have a busy first half of the year playing all around the U.S. The first stop was here at JJ’s Live in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and even though they won’t be stopping here on the Sparkle And Fade tour, singer Art Alexakis promised that they would play a good portion of songs from that album tonight.
A popular local band, Idle Valley, were lucky enough to open the show, which was a monumental moment for the band. Lead singer and guitarist Ben Welborn even stated that this was a big deal for them and that his nerves were getting to the point where he might go to the bathroom on stage. It didn’t happen, but this was the biggest stage they have played on since formation.
Self-described as Weezer-core, Idle Valley are a band that are having fun. From their live show projecting the Tom Hanks film Castaway to lyrics about pool parties, dying early, and getting paid, Idle Valley is bluntly singing about how they feel with no censor. They did play a cover of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” to give the audience a song they know, but for almost a packed house, the crowd was into them regardless of a cover being played.
The highlight was the second-to-last song, when keyboardist Dan Larson took the microphone and played a punk number. The stage presence is something I’d seen on the East Coast many times and had yet to see here in Northwest Arkansas. This is a song Idle Valley should continue to play at shows. After seeing a handful of local bands from this area, I see why Idle Valley are the most well-received one and why they got the slot to open for Everclear. I believe their next step would be to do some tours outside the area, and I am sure their fan base will grow exponentially.
I am not going to lie—When I see a band that I grew up listening to in the ’90s, I can’t help but feel nostalgic as they play on stage. When Everclear were breaking out on MTV with “Santa Monica,” a lot of bands were also breaking out, and for a 9-year-old with an older sister, watching music videos was as important as watching T.G.I.F. or Nickelodeon’s SNICK. These truly shaped me as a person and helped us as a generation learn patience because we didn’t have a search option; we had to wait till that one video played, and if we were smart enough, we would have that blank VHS tape ready to hit record so we could watch it again and again whenever we wanted.
Everclear know that their music had an impact on a lot of people during the ’90s, and they weren’t by any means a one-hit wonder, for the hit singles they had are more than what a lot of bands had during that time. Besides their hits, they also had well crafted and meaningful songs, as evident by their opening number of the night, “So Much For The Afterglow.” This was a song that wasn’t a single, but the opening, Beach Boy-esque harmonies followed by a straight rock song shows that Everclear are more than just a singles band. The crowd was already bobbing up and down.
Art did keep his promise, and early in the set, we got two Sparkle And Fade songs, “Heroin Girl” and “Heartspark Dollarsign,” but it was hearing their minor success song “Fire Maple Song” from their first album World Of Noise that was the most exciting. When bands became successful in the ’90s, their first album or demo would find a way to be re-released to the masses. Whether it was the label trying to capitalize on the success or the band wanting the listener to know where they came from, that first album usually showed where the band came from. For Everclear, it cost them $400 to make. You can tell, but it still stands out.
Moving into the second half of the set, we got another Sparkle And Fade song, the solo electric guitar number “Strawberry,” which, when performed live, incorporates everyone, including the drums. Before they played “AM Radio,” which has more a rock tone to it now than the recorded version, the band broke into a sort of Led Zeppelin guitar jam. It didn’t seem like they had a name for it, but it shows Everclear can still write heavier songs.
They ended their set with two So Much For The Afterglow songs, “Amphetamine” and “I Will Buy You A New Life,” but then came back out to a three-song encore. The first two songs were their tongue-in-cheek numbers “Rock Star” and “Volvo Driving Soccer Mom” followed by, of course, “Santa Monica.” Even though these shows aren’t Sparkle And Fade anniversary shows, fans are getting treated to a classic greatest hits Everclear show.
As I watched Everclear perform, there will be certain songs that will have stronger memories than others; however, for 90’s bands like Everclear, any song from their catalog strikes core memories of that time. Some may even say simpler times; of course, being a kid is always simpler, but something was exciting about the ’90s. An essay alone would be multiple pages as to why it was an exciting time, but for the music, especially Everclear’s, it truly was the soundtrack to everyone’s life.
Everclear
Idle Valley
