Photo of the Lemonheads’ Evan Dando by Laura Jerele
w/ Erin Rae
The Lemonheads took us on a full-on trip down ’90s memory lane Tuesday night at Delmar Hall, and judging by the genuinely great crowd, plenty of folks were happy to go along for the ride. I’ve seen this band in a few different chapters now, first in the early ’90s at a tiny club in Cleveland and more recently covering their last stop through St. Louis last fall and what continues to stand out is how little they feel the need to reinvent the Lemonhead wheel.
They are simple and they are unapologetic. The stage setup reflected that perfectly. It was simple and understated, with very little fog and moody, no-frills lighting that set the tone without ever distracting from the music. There was no big intro or dramatic build, just three musicians quietly walking on stage and starting to play. Ok, so Evan Dando, as elusive as ever, kept a low profile but danced his way to his guitar and mic stand. Keeping to his trademark, his long, shaggy hair covered most his face for nearly the entirety of the set. His clothes looked more casual and mismatched than stage-ready, a subtle nod back to those grungy pop roots that still define the band’s aesthetic. And yeah, we love it that way.
Dando has never been a flashy frontman, and that hasn’t changed. His performing remains loose, carefree, and slightly whimsical, but tonight he was not careless and felt very controlled. Compared to the last time I covered the Lemonheads here, which leaned unapologetically loose in the most charming way, this show felt noticeably tighter. The band was locked in, moving confidently through the set without meandering, extended jams, or unnecessary chatter. They just played!
The crowd was fully on board. It was great to see such a strong turnout on a weeknight, especially with Christmas right around the corner. I talked with several people in the audience who said it was their very first Lemonheads show and that they didn’t want to miss the chance…but how can you be Gen X and NOT have seen this band yet? I digress… The nearly hour-and-a-half set made it easy to understand why it was worth the wait, mixing nostalgic staples like “It’s a Shame About Ray” with deeper and new cuts such as “Deep End” and “Togetherness Is All I’m After,” both songs our editor Jason Green recently reviewed in his First Thought Fridays column back in October. And he was spot on with these!
Midway through the night, Dando stripped things down even further, taking the stage solo for a stretch of about six songs, just him and his guitar. That quieter middle section was a reminder that their songs and performance will still resonate even in their most bare-bones form. Some songs from the setlist included “Confetti,” “To Live Is To Fly,” “Rudderless,” “MalloCup,” “Bit Part,” and “About Time” but no “Mrs. Robinson,” I’m afraid!
Add it all up and it was a tight three-piece making a surprising amount of fabulous noise, a frontman unconcerned with chasing perfection, and a crowd there for all the right reasons. All of it made for a genuinely fun night. Bottom line: it’s always worth seeing the Lemonheads, and their Delmar Hall stop proved once again, like most things Gen X, that they’re still holding strong. | Laura Jerele
