Summerland at the Nokia Theatre
By Russ Allsup
I went to the Summerland Tour at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles on
August 13 and it ended up being a solid package of four headlining bands
on one stage- a good deal for the rock fans dollar.
American Hi Fi started off the night with their brand of radio friendly
rock n roll and started the show with a jolt of energy. Second up was
Fuel, who played a solid set and had blazing guitar leads. This was also a
hometown gig for the band, who played a short but sweet set and gave a
little extra effort- it showed.
Texas rockers the Toadies were up next and just rocked. I knew them, like
most people, from their 90’s hit and great tune Possum Kingdom, a song I
loved when it ruled the airwaves. They played a set of strong rock on the
darker side, a little in the Queens of the Stone Age vein. I ended up
loving what they did and you can now count me as a fan of their unique
sound.
Last was a band I love and the headliner of the Summerland Tour,
Everclear. When I bought their cd Sparkle and Fade, it ended up as one of
my all time favorite cd’s- one of my dessert island discs. Every single
song on that album is one that I hold close to my heart. They came out
strong, opening with So Much For the Afterglow, and proceeded to tear
through a 10 song set that also featured American Hi-Fi singer Stacy Jones
on drums.
There is a lot of comeraderie on display for this tour, as members from
various bands would introduce the other bands, and also join different
bands onstage during their sets. This was a solid rock n’ roll show in
good venue, and each band that played put on a set that the crowd loved.
