Gin Blossoms
March 5, 2019
Atlanta, GA
Buckhead Theater
Gin Blossoms. Not a band you’d expect to read about here is it? I have been a fan of this band since 1994 which was also the last time I saw them live. At 45, it’s hard to not feel nostalgic so when I heard that Gin Blossoms were touring for the 25th Anniversary of their debut album New Miserable Experience I just had to go. My buddy, Jacob had caught the show last year and told me that it was something I needed to see so this time around I was going to do it.
When going to see a band that you haven’t seen since 1994, there is bound to be a sense of reluctance and maybe even caution. Gin Blossoms were one of those bands that were a huge part of my life back in 1994 along with bands like Phish, Blues Traveler, Dave Matthews Band, and Jellyfish just to name a few. The band opened the show with a few new songs off of their 2018 release Mixed Reality and I have to say that I was super impressed. Lead vocalist Robin Wilson and the rest of the band sounded fantastic but let’s be honest, I was here to New Miserable Experience so this is where they were going to really prove themselves to me.
Wilson was having a blast already and without much of a break he addressed the audience by saying, “We know why we’re all here. New Miserable Experience.” The band kicked into “Lost Horizons” and the crowd absolutely lost their shit. The hairs on the back of my neck tingled and I swear it sounded as if the band had been cryogenically frozen and thawed. They sounded untouched by time and the crowd was loving it. I was also reminded just how much this band fucking rocked. I mean, if you can’t listen to “Lost Horizons” and not feel moved than there is no hope for you.
Gin Blossoms went right into “Hey Jealousy” and right away I was whipped right back to 1995 or so to when I was with this girl. Living in a small town (at the time) there wasn’t a whole lot to do so we would just go cruise around and just hang out and hearing this song brought back those feelings of twisted emotions, awkward intimacy, and lots of fun which had me tearing up a bit. It’s amazing how one fucking song can do that to someone but it’s also a testament to how timeless this music is.
Robin was in great form and I loved hearing all the stories about him and former guitarist Doug Hopkins (RIP) dropping acid in the desert, skateboarding, and telling us all the stories behind certain songs. The rest of the set was just a timewarp to so many great songs like “Found Out About You,” “Cajun Song,” and “ Allison Road.” Once concluding the album set with “Cheatin’,” Gin Blossoms returned to the stage for a great cover of Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees” and the brought it all full circle with “Follow You Down.
Hearing New Miserable Experience live took me back to a time when being 21 kind of sucked. I was living at home, in a confusing relationship, and wishing for that “thing” to happen in my life that would change it all for me. New Miserable Experience is an album that was there for me and made it not suck so bad. 25 years later, I live this amazing life. I have an amazing wife, a beautiful home, and friends I wouldn’t trade the world for but to go back in time even just for a brief moment reminded me that not all of it was so bad afterall. Timeless, powerful music will do that and the Gin Blossoms did it flawlessly.
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