After Swoop’s Wonderful Wednesday and Stomping Ground Parade, Emory students and alumni celebrated the end of Homecoming at the Alumni Concert. On Saturday, Sept. 20, Smash Mouth rocked the McDonough Field stage for everyone who was willing to brace the heat and wait for the band to start nearly two hours later than scheduled.
The San Josean rock band peaked during the late ‘90s and early 2000s, gaining fame for their song “All Star” and cover of The Monkees’ “I’m A Believer,” both featured in the 2001 animated film Shrek. Two of the four founding members, bassist Paul De Lisle and lead vocalist Steve Harwell, remain in Smash Mouth. They performed with guitarist Sean Hurwitz, keyboardist Michael Klooster and drummer Jason Sutter, offering the audience a look into their progress since Shrek.
The SPC-planned concert on Saturday afternoon was family-oriented, unlike DJ Rehab’s performance. While their lyrics are not all wholesome (e.g., their description of getting high in “Stoned”), their lively music and rock-and-roll appearance, complete with ripped jeans, tattoos and grimy hair, appealed to people of all ages. Children took breaks from jumping on the inflatable bounce house and eating popsicles to dance as alumni clapped along to the tunes.
Before Smash Mouth performed, the band Ripe opened by captivating attendees with their delightful combination of rock, funk and jazz. Lead vocalist Robbie Wulfsohn was an eager, inviting character who joked with the audience about sitting in the shade far from the stage. His quick, smooth singing combined with short bursts of brass from trumpeter Josh Shpak and trombonist Calvin Barthel made Ripe’s songs instantly catchy. The mix of elements from different genres was reminiscent of Bruno Mars’ music. Ripe’s cover of The Lion King’s “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” offered new, engaging instrumental sections, and their rendition of the iconic song captured everyone’s attention. Opening acts aren’t usually memorable, but Ripe was good enough to be the headliner.
To the young adult audience standing within a few feet of Smash Mouth, the music was mostly enjoyable, but it had its moments of awkwardness. First, Harwell is a few years shy of 50 and struggled to keep up the show’s momentum. Age seemed to be a huge contributing factor to Harwell’s lack of energy, especially shown in his limited vocal abilities. In some sections, Harwell dropped an octave or sang lower notes than had originally been recorded. His struggles were especially obvious in the finale of “All Star,” of which everyone anticipated. During the line “and all that glitters is gold,” Harwell sang “gold” much lower than usual. He also pointed the microphone to the audience and allowed them to sing while he bopped his head silently. Although this was intended to pump up the audience, his excessive use of the tactic suggested that he might have been losing energy to sing. Additionally, throughout the set, his longer syllables were cut short, revealing his lack of confidence in sustaining a note. Sometimes, he held out and fell flat. These mistakes were subtle, but they distracted from the performance’s fun, upbeat tunes.
Another problem was that besides the Shrek songs and their cover of War’s “Why Can’t We Be Friends,” the music was unfamiliar. Even Smash Mouth’s most recent tracks, such as “Out of Love,” are reminiscent of the late ‘90s and early 2000s with percussion-heavy introductions, consistently loud guitar and bass and a nasal, nagging vocal quality. The “garage band” sound often felt dated, and lyrics about the Fonz, a character from Happy Days, didn’t help their relatability to younger audiences. One of the few exciting aspects of the show was when the band embellished some of their older songs with modern twists using the electric keyboard. Also, Harwell sometimes sang into the microphone and his words reverbed dramatically. These small changes were pleasantly new and thoughtfully created.
The band members had great chemistry with each other, leaning in and shaking their heads and instruments in unison. Sutter pointed his drumsticks at his companions, and his enthusiasm shone through his genuine, toothy smiles. Harwell didn’t interact with the crowd as much as most lead singers usually do, but he invited everyone who wanted to go onstage to dance beside him. Students shook his hand, hugged him and took selfies with each member of Smash Mouth. Few, if any, were die-hard fans, but they were excited to meet the Shrek band.
It’s hard to regret going to the Smash Mouth concert, as free live music is always worth it. The musicians met the threshold of being entertaining, but couldn’t break away from their association with the green ogre. Some students brought printed-out or handmade masks of the iconic character. Even though Smash Mouth continues to release albums without groundbreaking music or lyrics, they will always be viewed primarily as part of the Shrek soundtrack.
