Can you believe it’s been twenty-five years since “Teenage Dirtbag” and the self-titled Wheatus album were released? To celebrate, Wheatus are doing a 25th-anniversary tour, and tonight they’re playing in Dublin, the first show to kick off the celebration.
The stage in The Academy has partly chequered baby blue and yellow floor tiles for the occasion; it’s crammed with colourful instruments in impressive amounts. T-shirts labelled “Teenage Dirtbag” are worn adoringly by audience members who are diverse in many ways, including age, proving the band’s wide appeal. We’re excited.
The support act
The support act takes to the stage, manoeuvring around the drum kits. She is Gabrielle Sterbenz, who, as well as being a backing vocalist in Wheatus, is also an incredible solo artist. She’s singing while playing guitar and is accompanied by Philip A. Jimenez, a multi-instrumentalist musician and a founding member of Wheatus. She begins the set with a song, “Midnight Sun,” which was written for a horror movie; it’s moody, poetic, and emotive. Gabrielle and Philip harmonise impressively while producing interesting rhythms. Gabrielle has a strong yet angelic voice which fluctuates effortlessly through her wide vocal range. She has a lovely stage presence and speaks to the audience like we’re her friends. She announces to the audience that she “loves Irish butter” and is fueled by it for energy tonight (as someone who’s lived abroad from Ireland for years, I can strongly relate to this!).
Karlie Bruce and Joey Slater (Wheatus backing vocalists) are now introduced to the stage alongside Gabrielle and Philip. Gabrielle jokes, “We now have 50% of Wheatus on the stage.”
They all sound beautifully synchronized while playing together; the whole set is surprising and wholesome throughout. Gabrielle announces a song that’s written like a folklore tale about a father going out to sea and a girl waiting on the shore for him to return. It’s sung in French and is rhythmically detailed, which shows how multilingual and multi-talented she really is. Each song captures and changes the whole mood of the room while unique sounds are played throughout the set, such as the melodica, while shakers and tambourines accentuate the ends of sentences by giving them jingling-sounding ad-libs. The set gets more upbeat and intricate musically as the songs go on and includes a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain,” where Gabrielle smashed it with her powerhouse belted vocals and guitar playing in drop D.
A lovely opener to get us connected to our inner teenage selves before the main act.
Wheatus: The DIY Legends
Before a single note was even played, Wheatus proved what they preach: that they’re still the same DIY band we all know and love. Brendan—the lead singer—is looking somewhat serious in his facial expressions, with a torchlight strapped to his head, while navigating and connecting cables on the stage floor and tuning instruments at the ready, in full touring mode. He is consistently distracted by and chatting to fans in the front row; while leaning off the stage and having an unofficial Q&A, he seems as down-to-earth and authentic as we expected.
You see, with this tour, Wheatus are doing it differently. Yes, it is the Wheatus album tour; however, it features an ever-changing setlist. All songs are chosen by the crowd. And tonight’s crowd is ready and eager to ask for their favourites to be played before the band is even fully set up.
Brendan announces Philip’s return to the band after 25 years, and he receives a loving welcome from the band and audience alike. Brendan explains how tonight is going to work and that the crowd is in complete control over the setlist: “You say it, we play it.”
Instantly, “American in Amsterdam” is shouted up to the band from someone in the crowd towards the left side of the room, and the set abruptly begins. However, the lyrics are—of course—changed to “American in Dublin,” which makes the whole crowd erupt.
The band performs perfectly, elatedly, and in complete synchronicity as a nine-piece; it’s hugely impressive. Three different types of drum kits (regular and poly) allow layered depths of percussion, while guitars are played determinedly and precisely. The bass is low and vibrato, while Brendan’s spectacular high notes and emotively sung lyrics are consistently accentuated by velvetized backing vocals.
There is so much soul behind their playing; you can feel the passion spilling out from the musicians, onto the stage, into the crowd, and reaching all the way to the back of the room. They’re all hugely talented and exude so much fun.
The Experience
The performance is consistently intriguing and unexpected. Wheatus have not only pulled this ‘no setlist’ idea off, but they’ve also accelerated it into greatness and made it their own.
Drawn-out guitar chords lead us into songs’ endings, which lead to the audience’s loud applause while percussion trills ensue in suspense for the next song to be called out. There’s comedic timing and audience interaction throughout. Their bassist, Matthew Milligan, has so much unique energy and is consistently hyping up the crowd while pointing fingers at people to tell them it’s their time to shine.
Brendan now has one foot on the barrier, the other on stage, and is headbanging lovingly in the audience’s direction, which prompts the crowd to do the same. The set remains sporadic with ever-changing paces. We even got a rendition of “Christmas Dirtbag” with Philip eating a banana (from a bowl of fruit-shaped musical shakers) halfway through the song on stage, which made the entire room laugh.
Improvised cover songs such as “My Girl” by The Temptations were also played. Brendan states, “Dublin’s gorgeous,” and compliments our singing, so it naturally becomes louder.
The band speak about their lore and also about how they left their label for making choices that were not in line with them as a band. Someone from the front row requested one of their older songs to be played. Brendan reiterated with a smile on his face: “There’s no management, just the band and the songs. Thank you for knowing them.”
They kept up with adapting to the audience’s requests and really consistently portrayed how they love what they do. The audience are clicking their fingers, clapping along naturally and on command with full freedom of expression. “You guys are fun,” Brendan announces.
The room became tense at times when multiple songs were requested and audience members had to decide between the songs by screaming the loudest for the one they wanted more; some were very closely tied, but I think the band could have played any of their songs and received love from the audience. We are constantly invited to participate, and it makes us feel like we’re part of this special show. The venue was perfect for this intimate gathering. At times, it felt like we stepped into their sitting room or into their own world, and we like it here!
Fans came from far and wide; there was a group of people attending the show from Iceland. Brendan also announces his family are here. They’re from a farm in Roscommon, he plans to visit (“for the two weeks in Summer it won’t be muddy!”), and they look at him so proudly while he performs on stage.
A fan in the front row requested they play “The Island,” and Brendan promised he will play it later acoustically.
John James Ryan from the band Keep Flying took to the stage to play the saxophone, and it shifted the mood in the room completely; it was mesmerizing to watch.
The bassist is moving his arms frantically to tell the rest of the band they’ve only got time for one song left. I guess we all got carried away and were really living in the moment; we all know what’s coming…
Hearing “Teenage Dirtbag” being played live was a moment I don’t think anyone in the room will ever forget. The lighting changed quickly to disco ball reflections (90s-themed), the friendliest of mosh pits is created, while beers are thrown in the air and spilled on the floor, and everyone is singing with full-throttle dedication and nostalgia. There were tears, smiles, and a lot of vocal projection.
Just like that, we think the set has come to an end, but as the band are making their way off stage, Brendan picks up an acoustic guitar and, true to his word, did not forget about the request made earlier. He bends down to the fan in the front row who requested “The Island,” and he begins to sing quietly and emotively. Half of the room are still in “Teenage Dirtbag” mode, but they’re quickly shushed into silence for this one-of-a-kind performance. It completely changed the tone and was a beautiful dedication, proving Wheatus really care about their fans.
They really created such a special atmosphere and a safe and welcoming space for everyone to express themselves authentically. It was a very healing show, and it’s a show you can see multiple times because it will always be different! (You get to pick!)
Wheatus really proved that they’re so much more than “Teenage Dirtbags” and that their legacy will live on forever.