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Avion Flies

by Tiffany Sun, penn '05

After having performed in over 20 tours through the course of their 10-year history, Everclear is on its first authentic stand-alone concert, and front-man Art Alexakis proudly announced that Philadelphia was the kick-off city.

Celebrating their recently-released greatest hits album, Ten years Gone: The Best of Everclear, 1994-2004, the alternative rock band best known for hits such as “Father of Mine” filled South Street’s Theatre of the Living Arts last Wednesday night with an eclectic audience of hardcore fans ranging from high-school students to semi-hip 40-year olds.

The crowd was entertained with favorites such as “I will Buy You a New Life” as well as lesser-known tracks and even a yet-to-be-recorded tune, “Gloria,” which Alexakis dedicated to his girlfriend of four years.

Freshly spurred by anger at the election results, he cited his anthem from “Summerland“ between songs, professing “It don’t matter--we’re gonna live how we wanna live,” which was greeted by cheers from the Philadelphia audience

At times, the skeletal, silvery-haired lead singer seemed to tire as his voice faltered and avoided high notes, admitting he was getting too old for “sparkly red guitars.” However, the somewhat lackluster set didn’t seem to bother the energetic audience, who bobbed their heads to the jerky riffs even as the melodies gradually came to sound like slightly altered versions of the same song.

The real highlight of the show proved to be newcomers Avion. A refreshing change from the recent surge of Strokes wannabes and punk wailers, the 5-member opener band (whose name means “airplane” in French) hails from Los Angeles, bringing with them a good dose of West Coast pop rock reminiscent of mid-90s alternative bands, but with less angst and more exuberance.

Clad in snug rock’ n roll T-shirts and boasting a very recently acquired tattoo courtesy of South Street, the band ranged from tonal riffs that channeled pure rock to the softer, yet equally kicky beats of “Beautiful.” Frontman Steve Bertrand proved to be a vocal chameleon, evoking a blend of Keane and Something Corporate in the feel-good “Seven Days Without You;” at other times channeling the sonic passion of The Calling.

The crowd slowly warmed to newbie Avion as they glided from standouts such as “The Best is Yet to Come” to the raw emotion and yearning of “It Falls Back on Me” and a rollicking, spirited cover of U2’s “With or Without You.” Their enthusiasm was contagious, and if the talent and fervor apparent from their live show is any indication, Avion will surely be soaring on the airwaves in no time.