Everclear main man Art Alexakis finally made it to Dublin for a solo show at The Sound House on Sunday night (20th October 2019). The gig, which came after a long wait for fans, followed cancelled appearances by his band in 2000 and 2013, and saw the singer get up close and personal for the fanatical gathering.
Photo: Darren McLoughlin.
By Eamon O'Neill.
Everclear main man Art Alexakis finally made it to Dublin for a solo show at The Sound House on Sunday night (20th October 2019). The gig, which came after a long wait for fans, followed cancelled appearances by his band in 2000 and 2013, and saw the singer get up close and personal for the fanatical gathering.
The intimate event came as Art’s ‘Sun Songs’ European run came to an end, and followed dates across the U.K. as well as an earlier American tour. Expressing his excitement about finally making it to Ireland, Alexakis had earlier told eonmusic; “I’m so excited to come to Dublin! Other than the not so obscure fact that I’m half Irish, we [Everclear] almost came to Ireland twice, but because of financial things with the label, they cancelled the shows. And so I’m very excited to come back”.
It had been well worth the wait for the assembled fans – particularly the giddly excited Siobhan who sang along loudly with almost every track, and the couple who had travelled from Hungary especially for the occasion.
Greeting the crowd, Art joked; “So, the guy from Everclear finally came to Ireland!” before revealing that he’d spent the day exploring the city, stopping off to admire statues of Molly Malone, and Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott.
A one-man show, with acoustic guitar in hand, Alexakis performed impassioned versions of tracks from right across his career, including the opening paring of ‘Songs from an American Movie, Part 1’, and ‘I Will Buy You a New Life’.
However it was with ‘The Hot Water Test’ from just-released solo album ‘Sun Songs’ that took the emotions in the room to a new level, as he sang about the personal tale of his diagnosis three years ago with multiple sclerosis. “I put out a bunch of records in my life, like eleven or so”, he said; “but this one was scary, as I felt naked doing it on my own”.
Going on to perform a number of fan requests, as well as taking questions from the audience, the Los Angeles native interacted with the crowd to give them exactly what Irish fans had been waiting a lifetime for.
With plans to celebrate the 'Songs from an American Movie' album on its' 20th anniversary next year with a full tour, the singer said that he hoped to bring the show, and Everclear to Ireland at last during the run.
Stay tuned for eonmusic's chat with Art Alexakis about the recording of 'Songs from an American Movie', and the differences surrounding its two-album release.
Art Alexakis's 'Sun Songs is out now, via The End Records/BMG. For all things Art Alexakis and Everclear, visit the Everclear website.
Everclear main man Art Alexakis finally made it to Dublin for a solo show at The Sound House on Sunday night (20th October 2019). The gig, which came after a long wait for fans, followed cancelled appearances by his band in 2000 and 2013, and saw the singer get up close and personal for the fanatical gathering.
The intimate event came as Art’s ‘Sun Songs’ European run came to an end, and followed dates across the U.K. as well as an earlier American tour. Expressing his excitement about finally making it to Ireland, Alexakis had earlier told eonmusic; “I’m so excited to come to Dublin! Other than the not so obscure fact that I’m half Irish, we [Everclear] almost came to Ireland twice, but because of financial things with the label, they cancelled the shows. And so I’m very excited to come back”.
It had been well worth the wait for the assembled fans – particularly the giddly excited Siobhan who sang along loudly with almost every track, and the couple who had travelled from Hungary especially for the occasion.
Greeting the crowd, Art joked; “So, the guy from Everclear finally came to Ireland!” before revealing that he’d spent the day exploring the city, stopping off to admire statues of Molly Malone, and Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott.
A one-man show, with acoustic guitar in hand, Alexakis performed impassioned versions of tracks from right across his career, including the opening paring of ‘Songs from an American Movie, Part 1’, and ‘I Will Buy You a New Life’.
However it was with ‘The Hot Water Test’ from just-released solo album ‘Sun Songs’ that took the emotions in the room to a new level, as he sang about the personal tale of his diagnosis three years ago with multiple sclerosis. “I put out a bunch of records in my life, like eleven or so”, he said; “but this one was scary, as I felt naked doing it on my own”.
Going on to perform a number of fan requests, as well as taking questions from the audience, the Los Angeles native interacted with the crowd to give them exactly what Irish fans had been waiting a lifetime for.
With plans to celebrate the 'Songs from an American Movie' album on its' 20th anniversary next year with a full tour, the singer said that he hoped to bring the show, and Everclear to Ireland at last during the run.
Stay tuned for eonmusic's chat with Art Alexakis about the recording of 'Songs from an American Movie', and the differences surrounding its two-album release.
Art Alexakis's 'Sun Songs is out now, via The End Records/BMG. For all things Art Alexakis and Everclear, visit the Everclear website.
