Since Art Alexakis of Everclear founded the Summerland Tour in 2012, music fans across the country have had the opportunity to see some of their favorite alternative rock artists at one great concert almost every year. For the 2021 outing, Alexakis has recruited Living Colour, Hoobastank and Wheatus to join Everclear in performing in Cincinnati, Denver, Chicago – July 14 at Concord Music Hall – and other cities to rock out with fans of timeless alternative music.
“You can call it nineties alternative. You can call it whatever you want. It’s rock and roll. I think unpretentious rock and roll will always have an excitement for people of all ages,” said Alexakis by phone from Boston where he was spending time with his family and preparing for the first show of the tour. “We have a lot of young people coming out to shows, a lot of them weren’t even born when we were first touring, selling records, and getting played on the radio and they’re very excited about it. I think it’s one of those things that transitions from generation to generation.”
“The thing about Summerland is it’s a lot of bands and it’s usually shorter sets, a lot of hits, a lot of fan favorites, maybe a new song, maybe a cover and then you get out and no one gets hurt,” he added with a laugh.
Alexakis is just as excited as Summerland Tour fans to see this year’s artists perform, especially Living Colour.
“I love the combination of styles they do and the flamboyance and just the groove, the hardness, the rock of it. It’s gonna be one of those things where you’re going to have a bunch of guys in their forties and fifties, from all the bands, on the side of the stage – a lot of the guys who are millionaires which is bizarre – playing air guitar to ‘Cult of Personality,’” he said. “Give me credit because they [Living Colour] are going back and forth for some shows – them and Hoobastank – but for the most part, Everclear’s got to follow Living Colour so we deserve ‘martyr band of the year’… It’s gonna be a lot of fun.”
There’s no doubt that Living Colour – with their genre-bending sounds and dynamic live shows – are a tough act to follow, but if anyone is up to the task it’s Everclear. Not only is Everclear – who are celebrating their 30th anniversary next year – armed with a collection of hits, they are also ready to rock and flex their musical muscles.
“We played four shows last year. Most of them at drive-ins, socially-distanced outside, but at the beginning of the year we had 84 shows booked so 80 shows got cancelled. We started playing in April of this year on the weekends and we’ve done about 10 or 11 shows this year alone,” said Alexakis noting that unlike other bands, Everclear is tight and ready to go.
The Summerland Tour’s Chicago stop won’t include Living Colour – as they are booked to play Riot Fest in September – however AEIR will be joining Everclear, Hoobastank and Wheatus for the night.
“I love playing Chicago” explained Alexakis. “It’s one of my favorite places to play, always has been. It’s one of our bigger sales markets for both tickets and albums, back in the day when people actually bought albums. I’m really excited because my 13-year-old daughter usually comes out on tour for a week and she specifically wanted to come to Chicago, so she’s going to meet us in Chicago and be on the bus for a week.”
Check out photos of Everclear, Marcy Playground and Local H from Summerland 2018 Tour.
Concerts are special. They foster a community built on the unique flow of connection and creativity pulsing between artist and audience. As live music makes its triumphant return, Alexakis discovered he was missing one element of the experience most of all.
“I gotta tell you, I’ve been playing shows and people are just responding so hard,” he said. “To me, the sound of hearing drums again – rock and roll drums – I know it sounds melodramatic, but literally when you hear it for the first time after so long it’s glorious. It really is.”
Don’t miss the glorious sounds of Everclear, Hoobastank, Wheatus and AEIR when the Summerland Tour takes over Concord Music Hall in Chicago on July 14. Click here for tickets, tour dates and more information.