Photos & Article By: Megan Niger
Red Sox fans weren’t the only ones strolling down Landsdowne Street in anticipation of a great show this past Sunday in Boston. 90’s baby, old school millennials and rock fans lined the sidewalk outside of the House of Blues, ready to see hit bands of past decades make a comeback in the 2016 Summerland Tour.
When 8pm struck, Sponge took the stage. The band opened with a hit from 1996, “Wax Ecstatic”. Throughout the set, lead singer, Vinnie Dombroski, played up the rock and roll atmosphere by smashing microphone stands and other things. The crowd didn’t seem to mind, though. They also played a song from an upcoming album that has yet to have an official release date. Closing out the set was “Plowed”, one of their most iconic songs.
Up next was a quite popular group from the 90’s days of punk rock; Lit. They had arguably some of the best energy at the show. A. Jay Popoff rarely stood still for more than 30 seconds, constantly roaming the stage and getting the audience to dance with him. Their set had no shortage of hit songs, playing crowd favorites including “Zip-Lock” and “Miserable”. Towards the end of their set, they surprised the audience with an unreleased ballad, called, “Fast”, from an upcoming album. Although the song was much slower than the rest and completely new to the longtime fans, they had no trouble slowing down and connecting to the song. Just when the band had the audience convinced they were out of time and on their way out, the guitarist struck the first chord in the ever famous riff of “My Own Worst Enemy”. The excitement and nostalgia in the room at that moment was overwhelming. Popoff amped up his energy even more and jumped into the crowd, scaling the border between the crowd and the stage as every single person under that roof recited the lyrics they’d memorized since the song’s release date in 1999. When the song came to a close, the crowd bid a bittersweet goodbye to the band.
One of the most memorable moments of the night happened between sets. As I stood to the left of the stage waiting for the next band after Lit, I could see the entire audience on the floor and the mezzanine. The background music that was playing suddenly caught the attention of myself and apparently everyone else. “Semi Charmed Life” by Third Eye Blind started playing and the entire venue began harmonizing, making the actual song inaudible. I couldn’t help but smile and sing along as I watched this massive group of people sway and sing together with a common love for 90’s rock music. When the song ended, the crowd all cheered and clapped for their own performance, and were later applauded by Sugar Ray for it as well.
The third group of the night to play was Everclear. Just about every song on their setlist could be considered eligible for a 90’s Rock 101 list. Every member of the band had a smile on their face for the duration of their performance; you could tell that they all truly loved what they were doing. A handful of the best songs they played included “Father of Mine”, “Heroin Girl”, and “Santa Monica”.
The fourth and final act of the night was headliner, Sugar Ray. They kicked off their set with a cult favorite, “Someday”. Mark McGrath’s performance throughout the show was something to be remembered; he was very animated and entertaining to watch. They played a couple covers and mashups, like “Unbelievable” by EMF and their own “Mean Machine” with “Blitzkrieg Bop” by The Ramones. Of course, it wouldn’t be right to go without their classic hits. The crowd absolutely loved “Every Morning” and the show’s closer, “Fly”.
Overall, I’d say the 90’s are making an epic comeback, and more so than just the tattoo chokers and grungy style. Most of these bands are on their way to releasing new albums and they are sure to be great.