“[When we started] we were just a bunch of kids working at a record store,” vocalist Robin Wilson said about the beginnings of the Gin Blossoms in the late `80s. Soon thereafter, they were signed to A&M records, made two hit albums, had a few hits and dropped off the face of the earth. Last summer, five years after breaking up officially, four of the five original members got back together to start writing songs again-drummer Phillip Rhodes was the only non-returning Gin Blossom.
“It just seemed like perfect timing,” Wilson said. The band is now preparing for a full summer tour with Soul Asylum. Part of warming up for this tour was a stop at our own Spring Fever last Friday night.
With no introduction, the band got up on the main stage to open with “Anywhere You Go,” a hit off the Empire Records soundtrack. This got the audience into the show from the start. They were bopping their heads and singing along to the chorus, while at the same time trying not to spill their beer. However, this excitement declined exponentially as the band delved into their back catalog.
As the set dragged on, I became keenly aware why my older brother sold their albums for two bucks a piece at the local record store a few years ago. The songs all sounded the same, with the same tone and feeling-mid-tempo songs of love and heartbreak with a flashy guitar solo mixed in for good measure.
It didn’t help that the band wasn’t in top form because they hadn’t played live in so long. From the looks of it, the audience had similar feelings, as the line at the beer tent became bigger than the crowd near the stage.
This did change near the end of the one hour and 15 minute set, when the band finally decided to play songs everyone would know. The crowd started jumping and dancing yet again to the band’s hits “Found Out About You” and “Allison Road.” The nostalgia floating through the air was as thick as the cigarette smoke, and just as pungent.
They then closed their set with their first and biggest hit, “Hey Jealousy.” The band was firing on all cylinders by this time, and the now enraptured audience was singing along like it was 1992 all over again.
After realizing they had another 15 minutes left in their set, the band returned to cover Tom Petty’s “Need to Know” and the Replacements’ “Can’t Hardly Wait.”
The crowd didn’t seem to recognize the latter songs, but rocked out all the same. It is ironic that a band now past its time closed with a song from a band that was much before its time.
For those still interested in the Gin Blossoms, Wilson said to expect a new album out next year. The band is looking around for a new record contract at the moment.
