The promotional material for the Art Alexakis, Brendan B. Brown tour indicated the two stars would be 'performing their hits, favourites and telling the stories behind the songs in an intimate acoustic setting'.
I wondered how this would play out, but am happy to say the format worked extremely well in a highly entertaining and yes, very intimate evening.Why did the show work? There are a few reasons. Firstly, the sheer volume of incredible music released the last three decades by Everclear and Wheatus.
Everclear, in particular, has produced some truly incredible music, notably their two early albums: 1995's 'Sparkle And Fade', and 1997's 'So Much For The Afterglow'. Wheatus is well known for one huge hit 'Teenage Dirtbag', but have also produced a great catalogue of work.
The show also worked because Art and Brendan are incredible entertainers, and Alexakis is a great conversationalist providing insights into his music – while both musicians were very generous with their time. The pair seemed to have a strong relationship and history with Australia. Finally the Miami Marketta is a great spot to see bands.
The gig (2 February) kicked off with a roughly 40-minute set by Brown. The focus was on work from Wheatus, but also included a couple of well-chosen covers.
'Pretty Girl' kicked off the set, followed by an almost bluegrass rendition of Paul Simon's 'Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes' – no effects or backing, just Brendan playing his beautiful Brian Neville acoustic guitar.
Brendan B. Brown - image © Bill Prendergast
Between songs he noted: "I forgot to say just interrupt me if you'd prefer another song," and he noted that for 18 years he hasn't used a set list, always taking requests.
He shifted into the lovely 'Valentine', a post-apocalyptic love song as he described it, and followed with 'Leroy', the film clip of which was apparently filmed at Melbourne's Hi-Fi Bar. He admitted the song sounded a little like 'Jesse's Girl', and as he played it a number of times switched between both songs, which the crowd loved!
A second cover followed, with AC/DC's 'Rock 'n' Roll Damnation'. A couple more Wheatus songs then the set was closed out with the huge hit, 'Teenage Dirtbag' – of course, the crowd had been waiting for it and loved it. He chatted briefly to the crowd, put his own guitar away in its case, and that was the set.
There was a small wait between sets, then Art Alexakis appeared. Everclear has been going for over 30 years and some of the music is amazing (I've always thought that 'So Much For The Afterglow' – which he didn't play – is one of the best constructed hit songs in recent decades).
Clearly the lyrics of Everclear's work are deeply thought out and Alexakis gave insights into what drove his songwriting. He noted that a third of his work has been autobiographical, and he clearly had a very tough upbringing in LA that has fed into his songwriting.
Art Alexakis - image © Bill Prendergast
An early piece from the evening was 'I Will Buy You A Garden', off 'Sparkle And Fade', and he noted it was an autobiographical piece from a time in his life when he was really poor.
He noted how much Australia in particular had been supportive of 'Sparkle And Fade' and talked of his tour in 1996 when it felt like The Beatles, the local support was so great. He moved into a lovely, slower, version of 'Heartspark Dollarsign'.
He noted he is often asked whether 'Sunflowers' was the best piece he'd written. No. It's in fact a much lesser-known title track off the 2000 album 'Songs From An American Movie: Learning How To Smile', which he played.
A couple of times there was a miss on the chords, and he noted he had kept f...ing it up, but the crowd loved it, listening to the piece with a new appreciation. He then talked of a song, which he indicated triple j was playing 50 times a day in the '90s, 'Father Of Mine'. It's a great song and the moving lyrics clearly have given this song meaning to a lot of Everclear fans. The crowd sang every word.
Art Alexakis - image © Bill Prendergast
He moved into 'Sunflowers' (he switched to a lovely 12-string acoustic for this song only), noting that single mums are bad-ass and that this song was about his mother. He talked of the tie-back of the song to his brother's passing at a very early age, which clearly left an impact on his youth.
A shift in gear saw Alexakis asking whether anyone remembered the first album? "Yeah three of you," was his reply as he moved into 'Loser Makes Good'. He dedicated 'Strawberry' to his silver brothers and sisters, and anyone struggling (he turns 62 this year and has recently been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis).
The crowd loved 'Strawberry', yelling its refrain: "Don't fall down now, you will never get up," before Art moved into '...Afterglow''s 'Everything To Everyone', and then another huge hit with the the crowd 'Wonderful', which he dedicated to his and the audience's kids.
To close out the set he asked whether the crowd wanted a cover or an Everclear song. I was hoping for the latter, and he moved into probably their best known song, 'Santa Monica'. It was a jangly, slightly strummed version, but a fantastic way to wind up the set.
The final half hour of the show comprised Alexakis sitting onstage, taking questions (from a microphone) from the crowd, regaling fantastic stories of his original '90s tour of Australia, talking about what drives his songwriting, taking a few requests, and letting one fan come onstage to sing her favourite Everclear song, 'The Twistinside', with him.
Art Alexakis - image © Bill Prendergast
It all worked perfectly, the crowd was pleased with the attention and understanding they had picked up on the band's history and his songwriting, and he closed out with one cover, Van Morrison's 'Brown Eyed Girl'.
Brown and Alexakis then propped themselves on the edge of the stage, and chatted to the crowd one on one at length. These were two highly charismatic singer-songwriters in huge bands, who provided what I thought was unprecedented insight and access.
Everclear will tour next year for the 30-year anniversary of 'Sparkle And Fade' (while Wheatus are part of the inaugural Pandemonium music festival in April). I suggest not missing that, and highly recommend seeing the current show – it was a fantastic evening.
More photos from the concert.
