Carolina Adventure World’s Fall Concert Series with Everclear

Everclear just wrapped up a tour in celebration of 30 years in the music industry as a band. Unfortunately, Shutter 16 was not able to catch them during that tour, but we were able to join them at Carolina Adventure World’s Fall Concert Series in Winnsboro, SC. Carolina Adventure World is not your typical concert setting. It is an off-roading ATV park out in the middle of nowhere in between Charlotte, NC and Columbia, SC where you can have a day full of adventuring on the muddy trails and then come back and have a relaxing evening back at the on-site tavern.

There is even a campground, which was nice for all the folks that decided to get hammered as the show started. The Coors Light sponsored stage was adjacent to the tavern and in front of the stage was a large fenced-in yard with a drink truck and picnic tables for concert goers to lounge around and get ready for the evening. The thrill seekers of CAW ended their day at the tavern, replenishing their bodies of food and beverages, as the opening band Fox N’ Vead took stage.

Fox N’ Vead is a band hailing from Concord, NC and engages in belting out a blend of country and alternative rock. The band just released its latest single earlier in the year, “Coulda Been Something”, in which they performed live for the crowd.

Intertwined within all the original music, the band also performed numerous well-known cover songs including “If You Can Only See”, “Hard to Handle, and “Shot a Man in Reno”, just to name a few.

The band also played a tribute to a military veteran buddy of theirs that had passed away from suicide. The band is keen on spreading awareness for veteran suicide prevention. The stage lighting was not great and the band members wore hats that put their faces in shadows most of the evening.

That being said, you could not miss the energetic drummer in the background as he threw his drum sticks into the air multiple times and had his hair slinging every which way as he pounded on the drum kit.

Obviously enjoying every part of the hour and a half set that Fox N’ Vead was on stage before Everclear arrived on the scene.

By the time Everclear took the stage, the lawn in front of the stage was clearly not at capacity. To be fair, this was a one-off show for Everclear and not part of the highly promoted tour that recently ended and was in the middle of the countryside. However, I like to think of the crowd size more comparable to a private show for the outdoor thrill seekers of Carolina Adventure World. Before the band took the stage, I said a quick hello to the bassist, Freddy Herrera, and he even mentioned to me this was a little different than the normal Everclear show. As the intro to “So Much for the Afterglow” began, the band took stage and the night proceeded.

Art Alexakis, now 61, is clearly capable of keeping up with the requirements that are bestowed upon him as the front man of the highly energetic rock band. Even dealing with his diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, he is still getting off the ground jumping when he sings, “Come on now do that stupid dance for me” in the song, “Everything to Everyone”.

Clearly, there were Everclear fans there that night, jumping around and singing and dancing to the hits. But even Art had to make a little joke about the crowd size, asking, “Do any of you even know who Everclear is?”, with a wide grin smirked across his face. The night was still young and the cooler temperatures set in as the sun was well gone for the evening. The stage yard had fire pits and were a nice addition for the folks that just wanted to lounge around as the concert went on.

The Everclear fans in attendance at Carolina Adventure World were treated to a really awesome setlist, which included “Twistinside”, “Summerland”, and one of my favorites, “Fire Maple Song”. The band appeared to take requests from the audience, in which “Amphetamine” was requested and played. “Local God” was a request as well, but Art initially said “NO!”, but it was on the setlist later on in the playlist. “Local God” was on the soundtrack in the 1996 rendition of “Romeo and Juliet”.

Prior to the band playing the song, Freddy and Art briefly talked about the song, also giving a spoiler alert away to the few that had never seen the movie, or were so unsophisticated they didn’t know the story of the two young lovebirds. Davey French, the lead guitarist, played mostly in the shadows during the evening as the stage light was uneven across the entire stage.

He and Art both make their guitars roar and they seem to continue to have fun playing together after so many years sharing the stage. Brian Nolan, on drums, was seen frequently concentrate*ing on keeping the beat. After playing through the many hits on the setlist, including, “Father of Mine”, “Wonderful”, “I Will Buy You a New Life”, “AM Radio”, and “Heroin Girl”, the evening was quickly coming to an unfortunate end. Art turned to the audience to ask a question, “I know we are (pause)………out in the middle of the woods, but who wants to go to the beach?”

After a few roars from the lessening crowd, Everclear starts playing their most iconic song, “Santa Monica”. Towards the end of the song, I notice the stage manager giving Art the ok nod to play one more song. Closing out the set, and with Freddy on vocals, the band plays their rendition of “Molly’s Lips”, which is the first time I’ve ever heard Everclear cover a Nirvana song. What an epic night to a crowd so lucky to have experienced an Everclear show, well, out in the middle of nowhere.

Everclear recently released their live album, “Live at the Whiskey A Go Go” in September 2023, commemorating the band’s 30^th anniversary. Check it out on vinyl or your favorite music format.