High-Energy Entertainment Despite Long Wait, Everclear Revved Up The Audience With Its Hard-Edge Performance

Everclear, with Slowrush and the Pinehurst Kids Thursday, Sept.28, Eastern Washington University Pavilion

Fans of Portland’s top rockers can rest assured: Rumors of Everclear losing its hard edge have been greatly exaggerated.

Sure, the trio’s last album, “Songs from an American Movie, Volume 1: Learning How to Smile,” had a sentimental, ballad-heavy bent. But Art Alexakis, Greg Eklund and Spokane native Craig Montoya proved Thursday that they haven’t forgotten how to rock.

But first came a public-service announcement. The Eastern Washington University concert was a benefit for JAMPAC, a group of musicians and others working to protect freedom of expression. Before the modest crowd could get on to the main event following the opening acts, they had to endure a rambling, 10-minute speech by JAMPAC founder and former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic.

Novoselic’s comments about the importance of voting, consumerism and marketing had merit. But after having waited almost an hour since the last band finished, all the crowd wanted him to do was get off the stage.

“They can’t kick music around in our state, so if anything is going to get kicked, I’d like to say, `Kick out the jams,”’ Novoselic concluded.

And with that, Everclear perked up the sagging crowd with guitars blaring and drummers (yes, they had a second percussionist) flailing. Besides an extra drummer, the trio also brought along a keyboard player and another guitarist to round out the sound.

“Amphetamine,” off the group’s standout album, “So Much for the Afterglow,” got the crowd hopping like popcorn kernels early on.

Everclear kept up that energy, fuel for an evergrowing mosh pit, with a spirited “Heroin Girl,” featuring the first of much fine lead-guitar playing by Eklund.

Alexakis took out his acoustic guitar and slowed things down with “Strawberry,” a nice way of mixing up the pace for the adrenaline-charged crowd.

But it was, of course, Everclear’s many radio hits that scored the biggest response. And, fortunately for us, their singles have all the qualities of good rock radio: catchy hooks, good beats and some interesting lyrics. The latest hit, “Wonderful,” about divorce through a child’s eyes, kicked off a string of well-played, audience-participation favorites.

The calliope-like keyboards stood out on the smash “Everything to Everyone” and Montoya’s bass took center stage on the new, sentimental tune “AM Radio.”

The largely college-aged audience sang all of the words to “I Will Buy You a New Life” as Alexakis slowed the tune to half-tempo. The group turned in a memorable rendition of one of their best songs, “Santa Monica,” backed by an insistent drum beat.

Everclear left the stage to come back for a threesong encore, which included the hit “Father of Mine.” Too bad their set lasted only a little more than an hour.

Word is that Everclear’s next album, “Volume 2: Good Time for a Bad Attitude,” due in stores Nov. 21, has a much rougher sound than the last one. Judging by Thursday’s hard-rocking performance, longtime fans have nothing to worry about.

Portland rockers the Pinehurst Kids and Nine Inch Nails-inspired Slowrush opened the show, laying out the choppy waters for much crowd-surfing to come.