It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years since the release of the Superheaven’s inaugural album, Jar. To all the elder punks realizing 2013 was ten years ago, I’m sorry for the harsh realization. At the beginning of the year, Superheaven announced a tenth anniversary tour to commemorate this exceptionally coveted record.
Having been on an indefinite hiatus since 2016, fans were ecstatic to hear the news. “Jar,” is unique and fresh; haunting yet addictive and all the more familiar as the record plays on, latching the audience to the emotional stories of addiction, depression and complacency. During an era of never ending pop punk music that debuted the same year, it was thrilling and refreshing to turn to Superheaven’s stand alone sound.
Short, but noting less of sweet, the tour hit a few major cities, and even had a stop at Sick New World in Las Vegas, a contemporary metal and punk festival, that features over 40+ bands over the course of just one day. Superheaven continued into the second leg of a nearly sold out tour this past October, primarily hitting the Midwest.
I hadn’t had the chance to see Superheaven since the days before their band name change (real ones know them as Daylight), and I had no idea what to expect. Few words were spoken on stage, which I always appreciate, and they immediately dove right into the music and let it take over. The opening notes of “Sponge,” were greeted with a more than eager crowd, ready to embrace their nostalgia. Following the direct song order as it appears on the album, each song flowed flawlessly into the next, becoming more captivating and emotional than the last. It’s difficult to choose a favorite track from the album, let alone setlist, when experiencing the spellbinding yet profound energy that carries the audience into another dimension of euphoria. This is the very reason Superheaven has such a devoted following after all of this time.
The future is relatively unknown for Superheaven at the moment, as there are no upcoming shows or releases planned. With the positive response to this tour, hopefully we can expect more to come.
