Martinez Tribune The website of the Martinez Tribune.
BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER
In an unexpected early Christmas gift that music fans have long hoped for, the newly reformed 4 Non Blondes performed the first of two sold out shows at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Wednesday, part of a stretch of their first new shows in over 30 years.
While their 1993 breakout hit “What’s Up?” from the group’s six million copies selling debut, Bigger, Better, Faster, More is a rather melodic pop song that the band is best known for, 4 Non Blondes set made it quite clear that they can also rock. Hard, as the eight new songs which the band played from their upcoming album clearly shredded any notion that they’re a pop band in a rather emphatic fashion.
Following the break up of the band in 1995, lead singer and group leader Linda Perry gracefully transitioned into an elite songwriter at the highest level. Her compositions include the song “ Beautiful“ which won a Grammy for Christina Aguilera, just one of several collaborations including Grace Slick, Susanna Hoffs, Gwen Stefani, Courtney Love, Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus, Adele and Sheryl Crow.
Getting their start in the San Francisco bar scene, the band disbanded late in 1994 during the recording of their second album, citing creative differences. Fast forward three decades and numerous reports indicate Perry is preparing both a new solo album, Let It Die Here, and a long delayed 4 Non Blondes sophomore release. Reunited with co-founding bassist Christa Hillhouse, joined by guitarist Roger Rocha, and drummer Dawn Richardson, both members of the original touring band from the early nineties. Guitarist Nick Maybury served as an unofficial 5th Non Blonde.
Setting up a rehearsal in San Francisco earlier this year, Perry deemed it “awkward at first.” But after getting together and playing, it proved inspiring enough for her to write “a bunch of new songs, revisit some old ones, and bam, we have an album. It’s really that simple. They’re all phenomenal players and now they get a chance to show that. I couldn’t ask for a better band to play these songs.” Adding, “I’ve been behind the scenes for far too long. I want to step out to be the artist I am.”
Appearing with her guitar attired in a fur coat and tall-crowned hat, Perry followed the band onstage to a raucous welcome. Opening with a trio of new songs (“Road to Nowhere,” Strange Places,” and “Drop The Bomb”) in addition to “Push & Shove,” recorded by Stefani’s No Doubt in 2012, the band disappointed no one with their abundance of unreleased material.
“Train,” the fifth song of the night, an all out rocker from Bigger, Better, Faster, More, pleased many as the first flashback to the early days of the Clinton administration. “Drama Queen” would later be introduced with an ode to Love. “She is fucking awesome and a lot to handle, but she’s one of the most brilliant people I’ve ever met, but I wrote this song and she came in but was too high to do the song, so I took the song back.”
Seated for the only time of the evening at a Roland keyboard, Perry performed “Beautiful,” the double platinum selling pop ballad she wrote for Aguilera, easily the slowest paced number of the evening, but one of the most well received.
Introducing the new ballad “Live Forever,” Perry opined “I know we can’t live forever, but the things we create can.The impact we make on each other on a daily basis matters. If you’re kind, it feels good. Everything we do today can live on forever.”
The song that started it all, “What’s Up?,” would follow, signaling a brief retreat from the stage before the group returned to encore with new track “Hollow,” further cementing their hard rocking bona fides as the well received but all too short 70 minute set came to a close.
4 Non Blondes return to the stage for their second and final show at GAMH tonight with doors at 7pm and the show beginning at 8pm. Sacramento’s The Willow Snag will again open the show.
