Review: Evan Dando @ Maxwell’s
Phish became my favorite band in 1994 and since that time they’ve remained my favorite band, but just before I got into the world of jam my favorite band was The Lemonheads. Evan Dando’s power-pop outfit captured my attention with their quick and catchy tunes that resonated with this young kid from the Jersey suburbs. Last Friday night, I relived my youth when I caught Evan Dando at Maxwell’s in Hoboken, NJ.
Evan Dando @ Maxwell’s – Hannah and Gabi
My older sister got me into The Lemonheads and it was a thrill for me to take her to this concert the way she took me to Roseland in 1993 to see the band in their glory days. We got to the grungy club at 10:30 giving us a chance to see three songs by the opening band, The Candles. Led by lead singer Josh Lattanzi, The Candles seem to have picked up when The Lemonheads left off with jangly rock tunes that would be more radio-friendly if it was 1994. The Candles’ last tune, Here or Gone, was the best of the bunch and reminded me of The Strokes musically and Buffalo Tom lyrically.
Shortly after 11PM, Evan Dando took the stage wearing a construction helmet and a bulky winter coat. Mr. Dando hasn’t exactly aged well as you could see each of the past seventeen years on his face. What didn’t change was the music. Evan ran through many Lemonheads classics, a few solo numbers and a couple of fantastic covers over the course of the 70-minute set. As a jam fan, it was refreshing to see a bunch of three-minute tunes back-to-back; there were no seven-minute noodle jams at Maxwell’s.
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