Everclear made their return to Bethlehem, PA, and they brought a perfect ’90s setlist to the start of the summer months. With an already packed room, local Lehigh Valley band, Atlassian, started the night as the sun was setting on the old Bethlehem Steel blast furnaces. Formed in 2015, but it wasn’t until recent years that I’ve been hearing about Atlassian. Their sound blends a mix of pop rock, indie, and a splash of shoegaze that makes them unique, especially for the Lehigh Valley area. To my knowledge, there hasn’t been a band in this area with that palatable sound before. For me, it’s a mix of bands like Mae and Copeland, while having those commercial moments of Kings Of Leon and Lord Huron. A different sound than Everclear, but the exposure seemed to have gained them new fans. The rest of the summer, Atlassian will be playing locally in the Lehigh Valley, worthy of checking out if in the area.

“Rock ‘N Roll should be unapologetic, if it isn’t, then you are like Huey Lewis And The News, I am kidding, I do like some of those Huey Lewis albums”, Art Alexakis said, laughing at the beginning of their set. That set the tone for the night to be fun, happy, and a whole lot of rock and roll. This is Everclear’s 34th year as a band, and they are still putting on memorable shows. Each time I’ve seen them, you get those hits right out of the gate like “Everything To Everyone”, “Heroin Girl”, and “Father Of Mine”, true 90’s hits that bring you back to a younger time, especially someone like me who was only around 10 years old and MTV / TRL was your main form of seeing and hearing music. However, Everclear will then throw in those songs that weren’t singles, but, in their own right, could’ve been singles like “Amphetamine” and “Pale Green Stars”. I will die on the hill that Everclear’s 90’s and early 2000’s albums had all singles, more than their peers. I think it was the boy band craze at the time that took over, and rock bands could only get so much airtime.

As they started the back half of their set, Everclear broke into a guitar solo jam that went into “AM Radio”, but the version they play now is more of a rock song than the recorded pop rock song. Followed by that would be “Strawberry”, from Sparkle And Fade, as a full band, which gives this song a huge lift, especially during the chorus, “Don’t fall down now, you will never get up.” Personally, this version should be recorded and released because it’s a great version. It should be considered for maybe their next album, because Everclear did announce that they have been recording and have about nine songs done. It is possible that we may get a new Everclear album soon; however, it could be next year because they are road dogs. Their next major tour, The Lucky 7 Tour, where fans get to pick songs to be played, will bring them to the end of this year. Not sure when they will have time to record, but it is something to look forward to.

As they closed out the night, they did with some of their major hits that everyone loves and knows, “I Will Buy You A New Life,” Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl,” and the mighty “Santa Monica”. Seeming not to want to leave just yet, Everclear would officially close their set with a cover of The Vaselines “Molly’s Lips” before calling it a night. Everclear shows go quick; for playing about 20 songs, it’s over before you know it because you know each song and you are living in the moment from start to finish. Everclear is one of the few 90’s bands that continue to tour and release music while still putting out hits. With next year being 35 years as a band, I hope we get a new album, and I think it is time that they are recognized as an influential band and are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Everclear

Atalassian