Pushing through a hot, sweaty mess of bouncing fans was no small feat Wednesday night at the Barrymore, as Everclear busted out an old favorite, “You make Me Feel like a Whore,” to start the show. The band continued to please diehards with “Heroin Girl” and “The Twistinside,” all off the album Sparkle and Fade.
Immeditately, a talkative Art Alexakis warmed the crowd by saying “We had an open date in our tour and they said we could either go to Wisconsin or St. Louis. And I said ‘Fuck St. Louis. I want to go to Wisconsin.’ So here we are.” Alexakis’ comment set the stage for a high-energy show that proved that bodysurfing is surprisingly possible at the Barrymore.
It wasn’t until the middle of the set when the band played a new song off its upcoming album Slowmotion Daydream, to be released in January.
For the most part, Everclear focused on previous material, causing no dismay to the audience. The crowd shouted along to “I Will Buy You a New Life,” “Father of Mine,” “White Men in Black Suits” and “Wonderful.” The main highlight was Alexakis’ acoustic solo version of “Here We Go Again.”
Perhaps the most rewarding moment of the show occurred when Alexakis invited a feverish fan holding up a poster that read, “I can play the guitar for ‘Santa Monica'” up to the stage. Holding true to his words, he amazingly gave the song its due justice. Alexakis didn’t stop the crowd-pleasing until there was a TRL-like pack of 20 or so teenagers sharing the spotlight with him on his final encore of “Rock Star.”
At the end of the night, the sweaty mess of fans dispersed into the streets, still enjoying the afterglow of the show.
