When Y2K came and went, with clocks rolling over into the new century without any major computer glitches, we said goodbye to the 1990s. Some of us even said good riddance.
Now, prepare yourself: The ’90s are in again.
Everclear frontman Art Alexakis is leading his second annual retro ’90s tour called Summerland, this time heading out in late May with ’90s rock comrades Live, Filter and Sponge. It will hit 30 cities through the end of July. (Full disclosure: frontman Ed Kowalczyk is no longer with Live.)
There are others cashing in on the ’90s craze:
* Sugar Ray leader Mark McGrath’s inaugural Under the Sun tour includes Sugar Ray, Smash Mouth, Fastball, Gin Blossoms and Vertical Horizon.
* Barenaked Ladies, Ben Folds Five and Guster are teaming for the Last Summer on Earth tour.
* And boy bands turned old guys New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men and 98 Degrees are sharing the stage on their Package Tour.
“I knew this was going to happen some day,” Alexakis said. “It always happens in cycles. Now it’s the ’90s’ turn.”
Last year, Alexakis paired Everclear with Sugar Ray, Lit, Gin Blossoms and Marcy Playground. For the 2013 edition, he wanted to change things up, giving it more of an alt-rock flavor.
“I love to talk to people after shows and almost always they tell me, ‘I just don’t connect with what’s being played on the radio today,’ ” Alexakis said. “They say, ‘Man, I miss guitars.’ ”
There will be plenty of guitars ringing through the Summerland tour.
“Each band has their own light show, and they’ll do maybe eight songs,” Alexakis said. “They’ll do the hits, the fan favorites. I’m a less is more kind of guy. Our tour is more moderately priced at $25-$30. You’re getting at least 15 big hit songs out of these bands.
“Money is tight for everybody. I’m a family guy, and I want value. I need to know if it’ll be worth my money. I just want people to know: You’ll get a lot of bang for your buck.”
Alexakis just turned 51 on Friday (April 12), and he says he keeps himself in good shape. Reaching middle age is no big deal to him.
“I just keep playing my music,” he said. “That’s what I love about this tour. All the bands playing on this tour are still recording. They’re still viable bands. It’s just great to still be around.”
(Everclear photo by Kevin Estrada)
The Summerland: Alternative Guitars tour:
Wed, May 29 – Fort Myers, FL Lee County Civic Center
Thu, May 30 – St. Petersburg, FL Mahaffey Theatre
Fri, May 31 – Raleigh, NC Red Hat Amphitheatre
Sat, June 1 – Alpharetta, GA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Sun, June 2 – Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Amphitheatre
Wed, June 5 – Glen Allen, VA Innsbrook After Hours
Fri, June 7 – Fairfax, VA Celebrate Fairfax
Sat, June 8 – N. Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues
Tue, June 11 – New Brunswick, NJ State Theatre
Wed, June 12 – Westbury, NY Theatre at Westbury
Fri, June 14 – Moncton, NB Casino New Brunswick
Sat, June 15 -Boston, House of Blues
Sun, June 16 – Jim Thorpe, PA Penn’s Peak
Wed, June 19 – Pittsburgh, Stage AE
Thu, June 20 – Philadelphia, Electric Factory
Fri, June 21 – Columbus, OH LC Pavilion
Sat, June 22 – Hammond, IN Horseshoe Casino
Sun, June 23 – St. Paul, MN Myth Live
Wed, June 26 – Denver, Ogden Theatre
Fri, June 28 – Los Angeles, Wiltern Theatre
Sat, June 29 – Las Vegas, Freemont Street Experience
Sun, June 30 – Bakersfield, CA Brighthouse Networks Amphitheatre
Tues, July 2 – San Diego, Humphrey’s
Fri, July 5 – Laughlin, NV Avi Casino*
Sat, July 6 – Tempe, AZ The Marquee*
Tue, July 9 – Kansas City, KS Crossroads*
Thu, July 11 – Lake Charles, LA L’Auberge Casino Pool Stage
Fri, July 12 – Dallas, Palladium Ballroom
Sat, July 13 – Austin, TX ACL Live – Moody Theatre
Tue, July 16 – Nashville, Wildhorse Saloon
Fri, July 19 – Danbury, CT Ives Concert Park
Sat, July 20 – Hampton, VA Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
Sun, July 21 – Port Chester, NY Capitol Theatre
Sat July 27 – St. Louis, River City Casino
Sun, July 28 – Kansas City, MO Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
*Live will not be performing on these dates