’90s Alt-Rock Royalty Roars Back: Sparkle And Fade Still Cuts Deep
Picture this: a sold-out Irving Plaza on a crisp October night, the air thick with anticipation for nostalgia sounds as a sea of flannel-clad millennials (and their ironic Gen Z tag-alongs) packs the Irving Plaza floor like it’s 1997 all over again. Everclear—those Portland punks who once soundtracked every angsty mixtape with tales of absent dads and white-trash epiphanies—ready to storm the stage for what was billed as a “Sparkle and Fade 30th Anniversary Spectacular”. Frontman Art Alexakis, not a young man anymore, still prowls the stage with the coiled energy of a man half his age.
The openers—Local H slinging their guitar/drum fury like a fireball of energy, and Sponge’s grunge-lite grooves reminding everyone why ’90s radio ruled—warmed the room just enough with an electricity that just seemed to keep building.
By the time Everclear kicked off with “Electra Made Me Blind,” the crowd was a roiling mass of raised fists and half-sung choruses, Alexakis’s gravelly bark cutting through the venue’s infamous echo like a call to arms. “This is for every kid who ever felt like they didn’t fit in,” he growled mid-riff. The band’s current lineup—Alexakis on vocals and rhythm guitar, flanked by bassist Freddy Herrera and guitarist Dave French, with Brian Nolan pounding drums locked in tight, no filler, no fat.
The heart of the night was, of course, the Sparkle and Fade deep dive—a full-album playthrough that turned the clock back 30 years. The energy of “Heroin Girl” and “You Make Me Feel Like A Whore” thrummed with raw catharsis, Alexakis pausing to share a quick story about song origins and his own rock-bottom days. (But he is now proudly sober for over 30 years!)
A stripped-back “Father of Mine” brought back all the feels for the crowd, while “Strawberry” hit me personally. (Always loved that track). Alexakis told the story of waking up from a nightmare of relapsing to write the song, making it even more sentimental.
The band did let out a song they do not play live much, even though it is often requested, “Pale Green Stars.” This one had the crowd swaying like a therapy circle gone rogue. The album’s sprawl shone in the venue’s intimacy; Irving Plaza’s balcony vibrated with bass rumble on “Chemical Smile,” and the floor felt the energy of “My Sexual Life,” a track that still feels like the ultimate post-coital comedown anthem.
The encores? Exactly what the crowd was waiting for: the ease in turning into the full thunderous energy of “So Much For The Afterglow,” the mellow sing along of “I Will Buy You A New Life” and of course what we all came to hear “Santa Monica.” Hearing “Santa Monica” live hits different in 2025. That guitar strum brought back all the feels and transported all of us back to the mid 90’s when alternative rock ruled the airwaves.
Everclear has never been subtle—their lyrics are therapy bills set to power chords, their sound a raw energy that draws you in. In a live scene bloated with TikTok openers and nostalgia cash-grabs, this felt alive, unpolished, essential. Art Alexakis, battle-scarred but unbowed, shared his stories and the songs that defined both himself and us some 30 years earlier. Everclear isn’t chasing relevance; they’re reclaiming it, one sweaty singalong at a time, and we are all here for the ride.
