Everclear
Support: Local H and Sponge
The Regent – Los Angeles, CA
Thursday, September 4th, 2025
Review/Pics: Manuel Gay
Everclear kicked off their Sparkle and Fade 30th Anniversary Tour with a sold out show at the Regent Theater, in Downtown LA. For 90’s alternative rock lovers, it was quite the show as Sponge and Local H are tagging along on this tour.
Sponge Open the Night with Grit and Groove
I discovered Sponge a few years ago and was shocked that I had not heard of them before and that they were not more popular. I was looking forward to see them live. Vinnie Dombroski and his band got the ball rolling around 7:30pm as the venue was pretty full already.
They didn’t waste any time and jumped in with Wax Ecstatic (To Sell Angelina) and its killer opening riff. The audience roared back at the screaming guitars. Despite some microphone issues, Vinnie found his way to one of the secondary mics and managed to keep singing seamlessly. Kyle Neely and Andy Patalan both proved to be amazing guitarists delivering thrilling solos with Andy even rocking a talk box on Got To Be A Bore. His brother Tim (on the bass) and drummer Dave Coughlin seemed to have an endless amount of energy, laying a steady groove throughout the set.
Sponge sure had some fans in the audience, one even asked for 1000 Times, which the band happily played despite it not being on the setlist before closing with their first hit Plowed.
Local H Prove Why They’re Alt-Rock Pioneers
Although it might seem common nowadays to see rock duos since The White Stripes breakthrough in the early 2000’s, Local H have been a pioneer in that category since the 90’s. From the get go, the duo unleashed their sonic rage onto us with California Songs and its chorus “Here we go again, It’s never gonna end, We’re all so sick of California songs!”. This moment of Midwest fuzzy aggression felt refreshing and the crowd loved it.
Scott Lucas’ guitar playing filled up the space, reminding us that no bass or keyboards were needed as accompaniment. Ronnie Dicola kept the whole operation on-track while banging on his drums as hard as the kit could possibly take it. We got treated with a cool Rolling Stones’ Rip This Joint cover.
Personal favorite Fritz Corner and their 1996 hit Bound To The Floor were amongst the highlights of their set. The Regent Theater was now at full capacity and Local H delivered the perfect feverish soundtrack to this evening where about a thousand bodies felt glued to one another.
Everclear have definitely not Faded and certainly continue to Sparkle
I have never seen Everclear live so I felt lucky to finally catch this iconic band on stage and especially glad that they were celebrating their classic album, Sparkle and Fade’s, 30th anniversary. They had announced it beforehand on their socials, they were going to play the record in its entirety along with some other hits.
Radio DJ and TV host Matt Pinfield made a surprise appearance on stage to introduce the band who he’s known and followed since their very early days. Matt has had some recent health struggles and deservedly received a warm welcome and a thunder of claps from the audience.
The lights turned off and while the band got situated on stage, a screen in the back played a short video compilation of Everclear’s career highlights: TV interviews, late night show performance. Art Alexakis was smiling at the screen, probably reminiscing of these days and taking in the moment. 30 years is quite the milestone after all. When the lights turned on, the band opened with the opening song from their debut album Electra Made Me Blind. The energy on stage and in the venue kept on getting higher. The next song Heroin Girl got the whole crowd singing like a choir “I used to know a girl, She had two pierced nipples and a black tattoo”.
Dave French on guitar and Freddy Herrera on bass occupied the stage space, playing back and forth with Art and Brian behind his kit. The band ventured out of Sparkle & Fade for the first time with Father Of Mine before getting back on-track and teasing a snippet of Santa Monica. But they interrupted the song, saving it for later. I loved hearing the live version of my favorite song on S&F: Strawberry. Later in the evening Everclear mellowed the mood down a bit for Wonderful from their 2000 LP Songs From An American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How To Smile. The band closed their set with I Will Buy You A New Life and Santa Monica, in full this time.
Final Thoughts – Everclear’s Legacy Still Shines
Everclear’s thirty year old tracks remain as iconic and have aged very well. The band demonstrated that they remain a rock powerhouse and that this classic album remains relevant three decades later. If like me, you’ve never seen Everclear live, do yourself a favor and go check them out. If you already have, something tells me you most likely already have your tickets to go catch them on this tour.
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