Fuel
13th December 2017
The Studio, Auckland, New Zealand
Review by Sarah Kidd, Photography by Mark Derricutt.
As the years tick by, music fans will often take a stroll through their treasured collections and fondly reminisce when and where they were when first discovering a seminal album.
Cue the rise of the anniversary tour phenomenon.
While some may be regrettable disasters featuring bands who have long ago stopped creating any new material, desperately trying to draw punters in with one hit wonders from yester year; others are truly memorable events that magically marry the past with the present. And that is exactly what tonight’s performance from American rock band Fuel was. Having produced some of the biggest post-grunge anthems of the late nineties it was little wonder that the ‘Fuelies’ – a term of endearment for the lifelong fans of the band – were out in force tonight, with many having travelled specifically up to Auckland for the event. With the promise of the Sunburn album being played in its entirety along with a few other cult classics off their later releases, it was an opportunity for many fans that was too good to pass up.
Despite the increasing humidity which has been plaguing Auckland for the last week, the crowd packed in tightly just before ten thirty ready to welcome their idols to the stage. To be fair yes, there is only one remaining original member in the band now, that being lead vocalist Brett Scallions who himself left Fuel in 2006, only to return back to the folds in 2010. Not only did he return but Scallions went on to create the bands fifth studio album entitled ‘Puppet Strings’. But this mattered none to the fans who were still chomping at the bit to relive the album that started it all back in 1998. Arriving on stage many a fan did a double take upon seeing Scallions himself step up to the microphone stand; the vocalist appearing to have not aged a day since he was last here seventeen years ago. In a recent interview Scallions spoke of rock n roll keeping him young, his appearance tonight certainly living proof of that statement.
Indeed it may have been several years since Scallions played in New Zealand, but it was evident from the moment that he began to sing the opening lines of ‘Untitled’ that he has not lost that edge to either his voice or his on stage persona; the distinctive tones of his vocals – always a huge selling point of Fuels music – ringing out loud and clear and instantaneously bringing a smile to everyones face. Created in 1994 by Carl Bell and Jeff Abercrombie, Fuel were consistently featured on the top ten rock playlists and radio airwaves over the better part of the late 90’s and early 00’s. Always a step ahead of the formulaic rock that flooded the market at the time, Fuel managed to blend together elements of the post-grunge and alternative eras to create a stand-alone hard rock sound that at times even leaned over and shook hands with punk. It not only worked, it worked damn well, with many of their singles sounding just as fresh live tonight as they did when first performed.
While having promised to play the Sunburn album in its entirety, Scallions is certainly not going to play it safe; mixing up the tracks as he goes rather than following the traditional listing; a clever move as it keeps the audience engaged as they eagerly await in anticipation of their personal favourites. While indeed Scallions may be the only original member left, the current line-up of Fuel is certainly not to be scoffed at and features a who’s who of musical wizards. On lead guitar ex Juliette Lewis and The Licks bassist and co-founder of Venrez, Jason Womack brings his own personal touches to the tracks throughout the night; while to the right Robbie Gennet who cut his teeth on the touring circuit with both Everclear and Seven Mary Three makes bass playing look like an entirely new art form, possibly in part to his years as an outstanding piano player and front man for his own band The Robbie Gennet Band. Rounding out the four piece with one of the most rock n roll demeanors you could ever hope to find behind a drum kit; ex Puddle of Mudd drummer Shannon Boone brings it all home with his disaffected stare, dynamic style and occasional sneaky cigarette; embodying everything these genres of music stand for.
Moving at pace throughout the set Scallions intersperses the tracks with banter covering everything from New Zealanders love of marijuana – taking a moment to point out that’s he’s from California where the “shit’s fuckin legal” – to how “bad ass” tonight’s audience is in comparison to the Australians. Often referring to the beautiful New Zealand women in the audience, Scallions quickly and easily builds a rapport with the fans, never once coming across as either cheesy or cliché.
Unsurprisingly tracks such as ‘Sunburn’, ‘Shimmer’ – which featured a wonderfully smooth acoustic intro – and ‘Bittersweet’ were rowdily welcomed by the fans; Scallions stepping back several times to allow them to finish the lines in a verse or belt out the chorus; the smile on his face illustrating his genuine appreciation for the love that the audience were showing him tonight. While an accomplished rhythm guitarist himself, Scallions often ditched his instrument in favour of completely letting loose across the stage with nothing more than the mic, wrapping the cord tightly around his hand as he got down low, or leaned out across the front rows. Hitting the notes each and every time, Scallions showed everyone just how it’s done with his exceptional microphone work and stage presence.
“It’s good to be back here, it’s been a long time, thank you so much for having us here tonight” Scallions addresses the fans once more before speaking of how after not listening to the Sunburn album himself in a number of years the next track had once again become his personal favourite; Fuels fantastic rendition of ‘It’s Come to This’ reminding everyone tonight that the album wasn’t just about the singles. Finishing the set on ‘Hideaway’, Fuel left the stage, Scallions raising his glass to all who are present; sure the encore game can be a little weary for the average concert veteran, but tonight it seemed fitting, the fans relishing the chance to vocally encourage Fuel back to the stage.
Ever the gracious front man, Scallions took the opportunity to thank everyone from their tour manager to their guitar tech; pointing out that tonight is the last date of the tour and what a fantastic job everyone had done in looking after both himself and the band. But most of all he once again thanked the fans, vocalizing the fact that he hoped every single one of them left the venue tonight with the feeling that “Fuel kicked my ass”!
‘Bad Day’ was embraced by the crowd wholeheartedly, Scallions once again stepping back for a few moments to allow them to finish the first verse which they did so “perfectly”. Following it up with the slightly unexpected ‘Falls on Me’ from their third album entitled Natural Selection”, Fuel ended the night on the impassioned masterpiece ‘Hemorrhage (In My Hands)’ from their sophomore album Something Like Human. As the rest of the band farewelled the audience, Scallions remained behind for a few moments;
“God Bless each and every one of you, take care of yourselves, if you’re too drunk to drive, let your buddy do it, if your buddy can’t do it, Uber that shit alright?” Scallions sideway grin melting the hearts of more than a few ladies in the front rows. With a final “get home safe, we love ya” and double handed kiss to the audience Scallions left the stage to waves of applause.
Fuel proving unequivocally once again that authentic music never fades.
Fuel:
Coridian:
Merrin:
Were you there at The Studio to witness this brilliant nineties-tinged flashback? Or have you seen Fuel perform somewhere else before during their long career? Tell me about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Untitled
- Bittersweet
- Shimmer
- Jesus Or A Gun
- Sunburn
- New Thing
- It’s Come To This
- Song For You
- Mary Pretends
- Ozone
- Hideaway
- Bad Day [encore]
- Falls On Me [encore]
- Hemorrhage (In My Hands) [encore]
