{"id":47340,"date":"2025-03-24T12:09:30","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T16:09:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/?p=47340"},"modified":"2025-03-24T12:09:30","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T16:09:30","slug":"wheatus-sonia-3-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/2025\/03\/24\/wheatus-sonia-3-20\/","title":{"rendered":"Wheatus @ Sonia 3\/20"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photo credits: Deanna Petropoulos<\/p>\n

Review by Mina Jones<\/p>\n

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Wheatus took to the stage at the Sonia in Cambridge, Mass., a stop on their 25th-anniversary tour celebrating their self-titled debut album, \u201cWheatus\u201d on Thursday night. The American rock group has developed a strong following over the last 25 years since their debut album release, attracting both longtime fans and new listeners introduced from music revivals. Their timeless music style creates a sound that is nostalgic for many people.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Their performance, in such an intimate venue like the Sonia, created a raw, honest, personal experience for the audience, aspects that align with the group’s \u201cteenage angst,\u201d punk-rock, garage band aesthetic. The venue was filled with fans, both old and new. The lack of elaborate visuals and lighting effects during the performance greatly contributed to Wheatus\u2019s identity as the all-heart rock group from the early 2000s.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The first performance of the night was \u201cBreak It Don\u2019t Buy It,\u201d a song off the group\u2019s fifth studio album, The Valentine LP. It was a calmer, moodier theme, different from what I expected, as a listener who is only familiar with their gritty, edgy \u201cTeenage Dirtbag.\u201d The moment the song began, the crowd was brimming with excitement in anticipation of the night ahead.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A little later on, the group played their cover of \u201cA Little Respect,\u201d originally by 80\u2019s-pop group, Erasure. Wheatus did a fantastic job with paying homage to the original song, while also making sure to put their own alternative-rock-influenced spin on it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cSunshine\u201d was another standout performance of the night. As someone who isn\u2019t very familiar with Wheatus\u2019s music, this song instantly drew my attention. The light-hearted tune made it feel like a warm summer\u2019s day, which was a nice contrast with the heavier rock themes exhibited in the other songs. The lead singer, Brendan Brown’s vocals and impressive guitar riffing had an aged, yet authentic quality that strongly contributed to the emotional weight of the song. This song seemed to be a favorite of the group, as after the song was requested, Brown said, \u201cThank you for calling sunshine.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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And, of course, \u201cTeenage Dirtbag\u201d was the most anticipated performance of the night. Almost anybody who has navigated the challenges of growing up is familiar with this timeless anthem. Throughout the show, the group constantly teased the audience with the song, but everybody knew that Wheatus was saving it for last. As soon as the echoed drums began, the audience was instantly captured by nostalgia and transported back to their youth. Though 25 years have passed since the original recording, the sound was very clean, Brown\u2019s vocals and the talent of the band did not disappoint. As expected, this performance had the most audience participation, and the group incorporated them in the song, encouraging them to sing \u201cNoelle\u2019s\u201d part in bridge.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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One thing about Wheatus is that they know how to work a crowd. The call-and-response aspect involving the audience is what made the show such a standout experience. Brown\u2019s easygoing, self-aware banter with the audience created a relaxed atmosphere; he was constantly cracking jokes about the band\u2019s history and changes in the industry between songs. \u201cWe haven\u2019t rehearsed that one too much,\u201d he said. \u201cLet\u2019s play a song that we know how to play before we play one that we don\u2019t.\u201d This received laughs from the audience. The bass guitarist, Matthew Milligan, even shared his LetterBoxd user with the crowd, forming that connection with the newer fans. It is Wheatus\u2019s honesty and relaxed style during shows that sets their performance apart from others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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It is clear that the group feels so much freedom when performing; they seem like they are having just as much fun as the audience. On stage, the band was very relaxed, and the structure of the show was flexible, and constantly ebbing and flowing. \u201cThere\u2019s no setlist,\u201d Brown said. \u201cThere\u2019s just a set concept.\u201d In a world full of concerts with perfectly curated setlists, it was refreshing to watch a group perform that felt comfortable and so much freedom.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A fun, standout moment was at the end of \u201cSunshine,\u201d the band was experimenting with playing the descending riff over and over again, Brown layering the lyrics to Vanessa Carlton\u2019s \u201cThousand Miles\u201d over it. It\u2019s relatively uncommon to see a music group just simply messing around and having fun while performing their art. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to stop,\u201d Brown said. \u201cI got stuck in a really good loop and I was like \u2018It feels good, just keep going.\u2019\u201d\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

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Wheatus\u2019s 25th Anniversary debut album show was a great reminder of why the band and their music have aged so well. Their performance felt raw, fun, and unpolished, but in a refreshing way. The group was true to their roots, and though 25 years have passed, this time did not affect their ability to entertain and command the room, creating a joyous experience for the entire audience. It is truly the group\u2019s heart that sets them apart, their authenticity and enthusiasm for their work shone through in every note they played.<\/span><\/p>\n

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For the 25-year-long fans, Wheatus\u2019s concert was a night filled with good music, old friends, and nostalgia. For the newer fans, it was a testament to why Wheatus is more than a one-hit wonder. Regardless, their fabulous performance proved that their music still belongs in 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo credits: Deanna Petropoulos Review by Mina Jones Wheatus took to the stage at the Sonia in Cambridge, Mass., a stop on their 25th-anniversary tour celebrating their self-titled debut album, \u201cWheatus\u201d on Thursday night. The American rock group has developed a strong following over the last 25 years since their debut album release, attracting both […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21925,"featured_media":47353,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1895,1525,1523,15,1],"tags":[231,2328],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47340"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21925"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47340"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47340\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47363,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47340\/revisions\/47363"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}