“Allison Road” remains Gin Blossoms’ best song, though it might have been the one that has lost some sting with the passage of time and the ease of earlier heartbreak. First, the hit “Found Out About You,” also not as frightening as it once was and, like “Hey Jealousy,” more of a celebration of what has been overcome. The album’s best segment was its amazing run of songs on its B-side. It’s no longer as ominous or mysterious, but perhaps more of a celebration by both the band and the audience that, as the lyrics say, “the past is gone, something might be found to take its place.”
The group then played “New Miserable Experience” in its entirety and sequentially, and showed why it remains so popular and still connects with listeners.Ī tangible rush went through the crowd with the opening notes of Gin Blossoms’ breakthrough hit “Hey Jealousy” (and, at its end, a huge cheer), and with good reason – it still resonates after all these years.
Wilson clearly was invested in the new material – singing with more fervor and emphasis, especially on the slower, intense “Break.” But nearly as important was guitarist Jesse Valenzuela’s work, particularly when he punctuated “Here Again” with a thunderous surf-guitar solo.
