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Coming Home to Celebrate 30 Years of
“Sparkle and Fade”
August 25, 2025 by Shane Pase
Art Alexakis has been doing this for a long time. Thirty years, to be exact, since Everclear’s breakthrough album “Sparkle and Fade” changed everything for the Portland alt-rock trio.
Now he’s bringing that record full circle with a tour that kicks off September 4th at LA’s Regent Theater.
“’Sparkle and Fade’ was not the first album I had made, but it was the album I had wanted to make my whole life,” Alexakis said. “It changed everything for me and Everclear.”
He’s not wrong. When that album dropped in 1995, it turned a scrappy indie band into radio staples practically overnight. “Santa Monica” became the kind of song you couldn’t escape that summer, and suddenly everyone knew who Everclear was. The album went platinum, and three decades later, people still lose their minds when those opening chords kick in.
What’s remarkable is how the band has kept that energy alive. Recent reviews paint a picture of a group that refuses to phone it in. That vigor is pretty impressive considering what Alexakis has been through. In 2019, he revealed his multiple sclerosis diagnosis, and at 62, he could easily be coasting on nostalgia.
Instead, he’s been using his platform to raise money for MS research and mental health causes, donating a dollar from every ticket to charity. There’s something deeply human about watching a guy who wrote songs about struggle continue to fight his own battles while still showing up for his fans.
The “Sparkle and Fade” tour promises to be more than just a greatest hits victory lap. “We’re going to pretty much play the whole album through the course of the show,” Alexakis explained.
In addition to the hits many are familiar with – “Heroin Girl,” “You Make Me Feel Like a Whore,” and their annual tour namesake, “Summerland” – fans who’ve been waiting decades to hear deep cuts live, this might be their best shot.
Local H (you know, that “And you just don’t get it, you keep it copacetic” song, “Bound for the Floor”) and Sponge (“Plowed,” “Molly”) are coming along as support, making this a proper ‘90s alternative rock reunion.
These are bands that lived through the same era, played the same festivals, and understand what made that time in music special. It’s not nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake – it’s three bands that are still here, still making music, still caring about what they do.
“Because of its success and lasting impact, this band has survived and prospered for three decades,” Alexakis reflected. After 30 years, six million records sold, and 12 Top 40 hits, Everclear is still here. That’s worth celebrating.
Everclear performs September 4th at the Regent Theater, Los Angeles.
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SID 250825 | TRACI TURNER | EDITOR
