The Lemonheads

1994 Tour

The Lemonheads rolled into town, but left a very sour aftertaste. Evan Dando was sporting a much shorter hairdo (yuck!) and a major attitude. To most people, the Lemonheads' songs may seem very 70's and light, but some of the lyrics do provoke thought. You can always define a band by their live performance, and the Lemonheads don't lack talent.

Dando's vocals were strong and clear on all of the songs. Their show started off strongly with "Get on My Own" and "Restless." Other excellent renditions were "It's a Shame about Ray," "Big Gay Heart," "Into Your Arms," and "The Great Big No." The first 2/3 of the show was lethargic and slow moving, but it picked up speed and really rocked in the last 15 minutes. Some of the songs were lacking the female voices of Juliana Hatfield and Belinda Carlisle, and those songs were better with the women singing along. The show ended with Dando solo, singing "Being Around" as an encore which the audience enjoyed.

The main gripe about the show - Dando's attitude problem. He stopped after the second song, apparently pissed off by the amount of bugs attracted to the stage lights. He asked the audience, "Does anybody here have any bug spray?" Then the band left the stage for about 10 minutes. The crowd stopped making noise, bewildered by the band's absence. Midway through the concert, he asked their fans to stop "crowd surfing" and "for all you people in the front, turn around and face the stage. You're being rude." Considering most of the fans attracted to the Lemonheads are high school age or younger, they should have realized that crowd surfing is a teen phenomenon at most concerts. It was their way of showing they enjoyed the concert (however annoying it may be to others trying to enjoy the concert).

Editorial Comment: Personally, I don't like the Lemonheads that much - their music is too inane for me. And this concert just turned me off on them. Most bands realize that the fans are the reason why they are successful. Dando's ego is too inflated considering his music. I was ready to buy a lifetime subscription to "Die Evan Dando Die!"

Su Chon