ALBUM REVIEW: Live At The Whiskey A Go Go – Everclear

When a band has been going strong for 30 years it seems like the right thing to do something huge to celebrate; in the case of EVERCLEAR they turned that celebration into a 30th anniversary tour, and even better, they recorded a live album whilst performing in Los Angeles at the iconic Whiskey A Go Go. So here we have Live At The Whiskey A Go Go, and even for those who may not be as familiar with EVERCLEAR, this is the perfect introduction where you can hear the magic of a band and their fans sharing an evening of euphoria and nostalgia.

As a mini-introduction, and as final hype for the live event, we are greeted by a friend of the band, DJ Matt Pinfield, who confirms just how special this moment is for them being their first live album. From the get-go you can hear the excitement from everyone in the room, and that feeling never lets up. They kick off with So Much For The Afterglow, a strong opening for a live show being a catchy, bouncy rock ‘n’ roll song, and it’s hard not to imagine the sea of smiling faces as you can hear the fans sing back the lyrics.

EVERCLEAR’s chemistry and bond as a band beautifully translates onto the recording with moments of banter between members and frontman Art Alexakis’ natural chemistry when introducing songs with their backstories, some of which heartfelt, some of which not so much but are still sincere regardless. Two moments that highlight this are when Alexakis introduces Local God as an ode to decades worth of friendship and highlight both the mature and the ridiculous in a song that, while a little dated, is rather sweet, along with Wonderful that is dedicated to both the band and audience’s children, even when they can be absolute hell. Hey, their words, not ours! And imagine the person’s glee when they realised it was their request that got Fire Maple Song on the setlist that night.

Honestly, even going in blindly with little to no knowledge of EVERCLEAR, it’s hard to not have fun whilst listening to their live show. Furthermore, we also have two singles at the end; Year Of The Tiger, released last year, and the brand new Sing Away, both of which fall under the category of feelgood rock ‘n’ roll that will leave you with a smile plastered on your face. Just a lovely experience all round.

Rating: 9/10

Live At The Whiskey A Go Go is out now via Sunset Blvd Records.

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