Tempe, Arizona, alt.-pop heads Gin Blossoms have made a career out of romanticizing the Reality Bites slacker beat of the early '90s and playing to a generation made lethargic after the '80s passed out on the couch and all the coke and spandex mysteriously turned into pot and flannels. The Blossoms are remembered most fondly—and not without the requisite pangs of guilty pleasure—for hits “Hey Jealousy” and “Follow You Down,” two catchy, saccharin pop/rock songs that have had moms, daughters and all people post-grunge (just creeping out from or falling under the drape of midlife crises) smiling into the sun and bopping around frantically in their hybrids every time KROQ remembers the past.
The band does deserve a little credit, though. They were playing South by Southwest before certain now-popular genres of music even existed and have soldiered on despite the suicide of guitarist/songwriter Doug Hopkins. And though the Gin Blossoms broke up in '97 at the denouement of their successful ride, itchy fingers (and depleting wallets) pushed them back into a smaller—although brighter—spotlight in 2001.
Know your roots for better or worse as the Gin Blossoms sing alternative relics into the newish millennium.
Gin Blossoms at the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, (949) 496-8930; www.thecoachhouse.com. Sat., 8 p.m. $29.50. All ages.
