Everclear in Boston, MA – October 8, 2024
90’s alternative rock heavy hitters Everclear, Marcy Playground and Jimmie’s Chicken Shack brought their fall 2024 tour to the Royale in Boston, Massachusetts. The tour celebrates Everclear’s American Movie Vol. One, turning 25 very soon, and featured tracks from that album, but also showcases all of the smash hits from each of these iconic bands.
JIMMIE’S CHICKEN SHACK
Alternative rock band Jimmie’s Chicken Shack started off the night strong with their high-energy performance. Frontman Jimi “Haha” Davies’ powerful vocals and magnetic stage presence captivated the crowd from the moment he stepped on stage. The overwhelmingly positive Boston crowd seemed to take the lead singer by surprise, so he took a few opportunities to throw some humbling digs at himself. The Maryland-based band played a nice variety from their catalog. The fans were most excited to hear the hits, “High” and “Do Right,” which the band played at the end of their set. It was the perfect way to start off the night. Even as they got off the stage, they made themselves accessible to the fans which was noticed and appreciated.
MARCY PLAYGROUND
Marcy Playground’s sound tends to have a laid-back feel, but their live show has an unexpected intensity. It has been quite a few years since the peak of Marcy Playground’s radio success, but you would not have been able to tell that from the way this crowd was singing each one of their songs. Many of these songs have never had radio play so you know the true fans came out to this show. One of the highlights of the set was when the vocalist for Jimmie’s Chicken Shack came out on stage to sing the song “Sherry Fraser” along with Marcy Playground. Lead singer John Wozniak had kind words for Jimi Davies and vice versa. It was a very positive and heartfelt performance to witness. Of course, no Mary Playground performance would be complete without playing the massive hit “Sex and Candy.” Every cell phone was out recording and every person in the building was harmoniously singing in unison.
EVERCLEAR
Everclear came out swinging starting off with a heavier punk track “So Much for the Afterglow”. Many of their hits we are all familiar with are ballads, so they wanted to make sure to remind the crowd of their various styles, sounds, and their 90’s roots. Quickly they moved into their hits “Everything to Everyone,” “Father of Mine,” and “I Will Buy You A New Life,” all playing in the first half of their set. Each one of these tracks had frontman Art Alexakis smiling, and the entire band bursting with energy song after song. Alexakis was very open and candid with the crowd sharing about his many years of sobriety. Alexakis has shared in interviews and throughout his lyrics about his drinking, drug abuse and even physical abuse from a very young age. Tonight he shared it he has been sober for 35 years, and the crowd roared in support.
The entire set was a beautiful mix of high energy dancing, and tracks of emotionally charged lyrics and intimate moments throughout the night. Everclear knows how to reach their fans, and consistently engaged with them. At one point in the middle of their set, a fan yelled out a request, “Normal Like You” that was not on the setlist for previous shows, and seemed like a genuine add to the setlist in Boston. Bassist Freddy Herrera yelled out, “Apparently we’re taking requests now!” Fans were yelling out various artists for them to play and Herrera said, “Oh you want Black Sabbath? You want Zepplin?” and proceeded to play some samples from those artists. Herrera joked a bit more with the crowd saying, “Who likes to hear the bassist talk this much? Who would like to hear the drummer talk?” Which might have been an inside joke because they, in fact, did not allow the drummer to speak.
The show finished strong with hits like “Wonderful” and “Santa Monica” rounding out the second half of their set. The way Everclear connected with this audience was beautiful to see and a testament to how they have kept such a dedicated fanbase over all these years.
