The Evangenitals at Wingwalker Brewery, 6-5-22 Concert Review

The Evangenitals performing "Just Stay Away From Me"

The Evangenitals returned to Wingwalker Brewery yesterday afternoon for two great sets of music, as part of that venue’s regular Sunday services. The mood was high, the beer was good, and the skies were blue (as is the law here in southern California). It was a perfect setting for some wonderful music. The stage was set up in the back of the outdoor section this time rather than front, and this worked better, as it provided a little more distance between the door to the brewery and the musicians.

The Evangenitals opened the first set with an old favorite, “Hello,” which is clearly a good choice to begin a show. After some monitor troubles, they continued with “Give Me Nothing,” and then “Turbulent Flow.” They also did a cover of Tom Waits’ “Fish & Bird,” featuring some excellent work on pedal steel. It was so beautiful. Don’t get angry with me, but I actually like their version more than the original. They followed that with “Free Love,” and then the totally fun “How Can I Choose,” which featured some great stuff on keyboards. And I loved that trippy ending. But the main highlight of the first set for me was “Work Song,” a classic number that has developed over the years. It was a favorite of mine since the early days, and it has lyrics that most folks can relate to. “When I awoke, I went to work/I did my job, then I went home/I fed the dog, I watched TV/I fell asleep, then repeat.” It is not just the lyrics, of course, but the way they are repeated several times. And I think they’ve added a few more repetitions in recent years, and that makes it even better, as it eventually leads to the dream section. Each of the band’s many members got a chance to lead during that great jazzy section toward the end. I especially loved Andrea’s beautiful work on fiddle. It was absolutely fantastic. Juli Crockett then introduced “Stay Away From Me” as a song about relationships that are better on the internet than in real life. That was followed by “Drunk That Way,” and then the band wrapped up the first set with “Sergio,” another totally fun choice, this version featuring some good work on harmonica.

After a twenty-minute break, The Evangenitals started the second set with “Where A Man Belongs,” a more recent song that has become another favorite of mine. That was followed by “#Werk,” a funkier number, and one that always makes me laugh. “All my drill bits are organized,” Juli tells us in this one. Can you think of any other song that contains that line? They then played another of my favorites (okay, yeah, I have a lot of favorites), “Never Too Late.” This song opens with the line, “Well, it is never too late to change your life.” I love that sort of optimism, and the line is delivered with a great joy. But this song also has a delicious sense of humor, particularly in the lines about Aunt Edna. They followed that with a few covers, beginning with Ween’s “Alone,” and then “Can You Picture That?” Yes, the song from The Muppet Movie. The Evangenitals used to play this one fairly frequently, but it had been quite some time since I’d last heard them do it. Fortunately, someone requested it, because they delivered one hell of a fun version. The next cover was “Jesus Walking On The Water,” a Violent Femmes song. I’d seen them do this one at Wingwalker Brewery before, but this time they went straight into Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus.” (Andy Fletcher died just over a week ago, as you probably know.) The band then wrapped up the second set with “Andy The Mushroom.” It was a somewhat shorter second set, and there was no encore, but it was after 7 p.m., and the venue closes at that time on Sundays.

Set List

Set I

1. Hello
2. Give Me Nothing
3. Turbulent Flow
4. Fish & Bird
5. Free Love
6. How Can I Choose?
7. Work Song
8. Just Stay Away From Me
9. Drunk That Way
10. Sergio

Set II

1. Where A Man Belongs
2. #Werk
3. Never Too Late
4. Alone
5. Can You Picture That?
6. Jesus Walking On The Water >
7. Personal Jesus
8. Andy The Mushroom

Here are some photos from the show:

"Drunk That Way"

 

"Sergio"

 

"Never Too Late"

"Never Too Late"

"Never Too Late"

"Never Too Late"

"Never Too Late"

Wingwalker Brewery is located at 235 W. Maple Ave., in Monrovia, California.