Everclear @ Wild Horse Pass
Everything changes. The music of your youth isn’t exactly how you remember it. At least it has proven true for the Punk Pack. Everclear and Marcy Playground brings memories of endless summers, days at school, even loss. Though hearing these 90s bands perform live, they provided an unique lens to reflect through the nostalgia of simpler times. Their show at Wild Horse Pass removed the rose-colored glasses while taking a more critical evaluation of our own youth and some of the songs that forged us.
Marcy Playground, if you are struggling to remember the band, some will recall the one-hit wonder, “Sex and Candy.” If not, then know it was quite an ear worm in the 90s. Unfortunately, up until now, this had been our only exposure to Marcy Playground. In truth, they still retain the title of one-hit wonders for the Pack. Even so, hearing “Sex and Candy" was a nostalgic rush, but the rest of their set proved why we had only heard the one song prior.
Everclear was a more complex experience. The Pack were first hooked by Everclear coming on the radio. Their music has spanned over a decade in our lives. Songs such as “Wonderful” and “Father of Mine” hit the Punk Pack in a very sensitive spot without fail. Everclear's stage presence is awesome even from upstairs and in the back; which happened to be excellent seating to see majority of the stage. Even though our unbridled excitement ensured this to be a fantastic, Everclear can’t avoid the fact that the 90s were a long time ago. It wasn’t fully clear if it was the vocals in the moment or a technical issue; Art Alexakis’ (Vox/Guitar) voice seemed to fade in and out that became more noticeable as their set went on. Alexakis still has the raw sound that we fell in love with though the audio inconsistencies leaves one wondering, “Is Everclear past their prime?” To the Punk Pack, no. Everclear still has it as we barely kept ourselves together for each gut-wrenching favorite that was on the set list.
It was a small miracle that the Pack escaped this show unscathed. The sheer amount of memories that flood in from 90s bands that have been ingrained within our early experiences; riding the high on the echoes of high school shenanigans and the perceived invincibility of childhood. Finally seeing such large bands from our youth was a blast of an opportunity. The Pack would be lucky to cover more shows like this.
