Alt-rock’s Vertical Horizon opened Monday’s sold-out show at Meijer Gardens, with fans reveling in the melodic, hook-driven nostalgia of long-running bands. The review and photo gallery.
Crowd-Pleasing Set: The Gin Blossoms pumping up fans on Monday night. (Photo/Jamie Geysbeek)
SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTO GALLERY
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
If you take their lyrics to heart, the Gin Blossoms have been “learning the hard way,” their “hands are tied” and they might “follow you down, but not that far.”
For Toad the Wet Sprocket, meanwhile, “something’s always wrong” and “this boat is sinking.”
But experiencing these long-running bands in concert, the milieu is a far cry from the somewhat bleak themes of the memorable music they’ve created and the songs that fans have embraced.
Indeed, at a sold-out Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park on Monday night, these two bands who enjoyed their biggest commercial success and heyday in the 1990s were nothing if not joyous and buoyant in rolling out their greatest hits while keeping devoted fans singing along (many standing throughout) and otherwise swaying to their infectious hooks.
Harmony-Filled Set: Glen Phillips and Toad the Wet Sprocket. (Photo/Jamie Geysbeek)
After an opening set from Washington D.C.-bred alt-rock band Vertical Horizon, Toad the Wet Sprocket quickly proved why they’ve continued to impress fans on tour: Their standout harmonies, jangly guitars and mesmerizing hooks captivate audiences, from “Something’s Always Wrong” to “All I Want” to the chest-pounding “Fall Down” that closed out their set.
Led by Glen Phillips, the band hit a high point when members of Vertical Horizon and Gin Blossoms joined them on stage for a brilliant rendition of R.E.M.’s 1985 track, “Driver 8,” a collaborative cover recently released on YouTube.
Before leaving the stage, Phillips credited attendees for “standing next to a stranger” and joining in the night’s musical celebration. “We’re more alike than we are different,” he insisted.
Meanwhile, the opening strains of 1996’s Top 10 hit “Follow You Down” induced fans throughout the entire 1,900-capacity amphitheater to jump to their feet as the Gin Blossoms took the stage, complementing their infectious pop hooks with bracing guitar leads courtesy of Scott Johnson and Jesse Valenzuela throughout the band’s set.
Connection: Phillips meeting with Niles super-fan/friend Jeremy Diaz after his set. (Photo/Local Spins)
Noting that the band has unfurled its music for 37 years, lead singer Robin Wilson introduced his favorite song, “Hold Me Down,” as a paean to “heartache and rejection and substance abuse” — a rollicking, bass-heavy rendition (maybe a bit too bass-heavy in the mix) that certainly showed off the group’s guitar chops, as did the evening’s version of “Hands Are Tied.”
Not surprisingly, the biggest ovations and most robust sing-alongs were reserved for the band classics “Allison Road,” “Found Out About You” and “Hey Jealousy” near the end of the set.
Suffice to say, fans were certainly happy to let the Gin Blossoms — as well as Toad the Wet Sprocket and Vertical Horizon — “just crash here tonight,” considering their enthusiasm and faithful re-creation of some enduring songs.
PHOTO GALLERY: Gin Blossoms, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Vertical Horizon
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
Photos by Jamie Geysbeek
