Posted by Contributing photographer/reviewer, Amanda Packey gives another great perspective of Everclear, Local H & Sponge’s performance at Huntington’s Paramount Theatre!
On October 19, 2025, Everclear brought their Sparkle and Fade 30th Anniversary Tour to The Paramount in Huntington, NY. Everclear, along with openers Sponge and Local H, was a night of chill fun and 90s memories.
Sponge opened with a short set of six songs, but made sure to cover all their top hits including “Wax Ecstatic (To Sell Angelina)” and “Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain).” Sponge ended with their 1994 hit “Plowed,” which energized the audience and had them shouting “Say a prayer for me!” back to the band. Overall, Sponge brought a lot of energy to their short set, and the crowd really seemed to have a great time.
The second band of the night, Local H, was interesting to me. If you had asked me before the show if I knew them, I would have told you “no”. And, I would have been very, very wrong. So, in case you are also having the same memory problems I apparently have, I would like to remind you all of the choke hold the lines “And you just don’t get it, you keep it copacetic” had on us in 1996. That song, called “Bound for the Floor” peaked at number 10 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart and was on the chart for 26 weeks. We all knew it. We all sang it. And the whole audience sang it this night, too.
The band is a duo, consisting only of vocalist/guitarist Scott Lucas and drummer Ronnie DiCola, but somehow they have the stage presence of a three or four piece band. Toward the end of their set, Lucas asked, “Do you cats wanna get nuts?” Hell yeah, we did! The band broke into “That’s What They All Say,” and if you ever wanted to get out your frustration to a hard rock melody, this would be the song to do it. Being able to shout, “Yeah, uh-huh, that’s what they all say” is somehow cathartic and uplifting at the same time.
Rounding out the night, Everclear came on stage with “Electra Made Me Blind” and played through their Sparkle and Fade album to “My Sexual Life,” interspersing a few of their other big hits, like “Everything to Everyone” and “Wonderful.” Though important to note for later: they only played a snippet of Santa Monica. Guitarist Dave French put on a show, throwing his guitar around and jumping on the drum set. Bassist Freddy Herrera and drummer Brian Nolan were having an absolute blast on stage. The whole set was just a good time.
When it comes to vocalist/lead guitarist Art Alexakis, you can’t go into the show expecting the same Alexakis of the 90s or early 2000s. That would be unfair. Unfortunately, I think that was an expectation a few audience members had that night, as one person mentioned to me that his voice “sounded tired.” Alexakis was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2016, and has been very open about it since. In the years since his diagnosis, his voice has changed, which is not uncommon in MS. That is not to say that Alexakis can’t still put on a show. He was clearly up there giving it his all. He nailed all the lyrics. Honestly, based on the physical performance alone, I would have never guessed he had MS. That said, his voice does sound different, and if you go in expecting that and giving him a little grace, you’re still going to have a good time.
Everclear included Local H in their set, bringing out Lucas to sing a cover of Led Zeppelin’s Rock and Roll. However, they didn’t leave out Vinnie Dombroski of Sponge. At the end of Everclear’s set, one of the audience members shouted, “You forgot Santa Monica!” Hold your horses, fellow audience member. They’ve got it covered. Everclear came back out for their encore, which included “So Much for the Afterglow” and “I Will Buy You a New Life.” And then, their pièce de résistance, they played “Santa Monica.” But they didn’t just play “Santa Monica.” Oh, no. The audience sang it. Dombroski of Sponge came out and sang it. Alexakis sang it. Hererra sang it. This was a group effort of epic proportions, and the most perfect way to end the evening I can think of.
Here are a few outstanding pics from all of their performances.
Long Island Sounds 