Candlebox takes Indy\’s Vogue Theatre back in time

by Reggie Edwards It doesn’t seem possible that Candlebox have been around for over 20 years already. These guys have definitely withstood the trials that come with the longevity of being a band. To celebrate, they’ve embarked on a huge 20^th anniversary tour. We had a chance to catch the latest Indianapolis stop at The Vogue Theatre. Opening the night was Indy’s The Last Goodyear. I didn’t know a thing about these guys so I didn’t know what to expect. The majority of my experiences with local bands opening for a national headliner, though, don’t have a great track record, so I didn’t have high expectations. Well, they blew me away, completely. Some of their tunes even sounded familiar; they absolutely rocked the house. The job of an opener is to get the crowd going and ready for the headliner. They definitely did their job; Candlebox must have thought so too, because frontman Kevin Martin joined them on stage for one of their songs. By the time The Last Goodyear left stage, the crowd didn’t appear ready. They were anxious for more music and Candlebox couldn’t take the stage sooner. They hit the stage before 9 p.m. and didn’t leave the stage until almost 11 p.m. Needless to say, there was a lot of music. Frontman Kevin Martin took a lot of time to talk to the packed crowd and interacted with them throughout each song. If felt like the early-to-mid 90’s all over again this night, as Candlebox played their first album in its entirety, not back-to-back, but it was played intertwined with other material spanning throughout their entire career. “Blossom,” “Cover Me,” “You,” “Far Behind,” “Don’t You” and “Simple Lessons” were among the numerous songs played on the evening. There were many times Martin thanked the crowd and could be seen saying “wow!,” “Oh my god,” or “are you kidding me!?” during songs, responding to the overpowering response from the crowd as they sang along. Martin, before playing one of the songs written about his ex-wife, took time to talk to the crowd. \”This next song,\” he said, \”is dedicated to the ex-Mrs. Martin. Where ever she is, I don\’t care,\” to which the crowd broke out laughing. \”I want the house, the dog and the car back,\” he joked \”If you\’re thinking of getting divorced, just don\’t get married, especially not in California. It\’s the leading cause of divorce- marriage,\” to which the crowd again, broke out in laughter. Coming out of Seattle among fellow bands Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Nirvana, there’s no question Candlebox is among the elite of that group and the fans know it. After a near-two hour set, Candlebox wrapped up the night, told the crowd they’d be back over the summer and left the crowd’s minds blown.