I don't think I've ever been to a "reunion tour" show before, but after experiencing my first one I think there's just something fantastic about getting to see a band that you never, ever thought you would see play again.

And I'm not talking about the Eagles, or Kiss or the Rolling Stones or any of those massive bands that are virtually guaranteed to tour ONE MORE TIME when they need a few million more dollars/pounds/euros.

I'm talking about those smaller bands that randomly made an impression on you, the ones where you can point to a specific year or summer, or period in time, and remember with vivid nostalgia specific events or friends that were a part of your life.

For me, getting to see Letters To Cleo yesterday was that type of goodness. Setting aside that I never thought the band would reform, I couldn't believe that a band from Boston, who's members currently live in various States (none of which are Texas) where actually playing a 4 city mini reunion tour, and 3 of the cities where in Texas. And best of all, they were closing out the entire thing in Dallas. Awesome.

For those who may not know, Letters To Cleo was/is a band from Boston who got big in 1994 with a break out hit, Here and Now, a song from their Aurora Gory Alice album which became wildly popular after appearing in Melrose Place and then garnering massive airplay on MTV and radio.

Aurora was followed up with Wholesale Meats & Fish in 1995, which yielded another breakout hit, Awake. 1997 brought Go! which was just a perfect power pop album full of hooks, hooks and more hooks. If you're a fan of 90s rock, or girl singers, or both, be sure to pick up this record. It does not disappoint, you'll be singing along in no time.

The band went on to release another EP of demos in 1998, then were prominently featured in the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You, and contributed two (excellent) covers to the soundtrack, Cruel To Be Kind, and Cheap Trick's I Want You To Want Me. In mid 2000 came the break up and the individual members all went onto various careers in the entertainment business.

End of story? Obviously not. In late 2008 the various Letters To Cleo members found themselves together in the same room for the first time in nearly 8 years at Boston night club T.T. The Bears at a benefit concert for an old friend and supporter of the band. Next thing you know an impromptu reunion occurred as the band got on stage and ripped through Here & Now and Awake.

Good time ensued and the band put together a 4 show reunion last winter in Boston, NYC and LA. This was followed up with this weeks 4 city show in New Orleans, Houston, Austin and Dallas.

I was fortunate enough to get to go see soundcheck, interview lead singer Kay Hanley for 40 minutes on the band and her solo career and then get to see a completely rocking set that proved that even though Cleo haven't been a band for 8 years, they still got their chops and if anything are even tighter then they were in 90s.

Over 80 minutes the band tore through 19 songs, 18 rockers and 1 ballad for the love birds in the crowd. My personal favorite from the show had to be Veda Very Shining, which is a near perfect example of both the bands poppy hooks and blistering musicianship. Check out the MP3 below to hear the crashing drums, crazy guitar riffs and all around head bobbing goodness.

In an act that was sure to make their day, Kay invited up the lead singer from opening act Cruiserweight to sing with her on Co-Pilot and Here & Now, and Letter's drummer Stacy Jones (who also serves as Miley Cyrus' music director) gave up his seat to ex-Cruiserweight drummer Yogi Maxwell for the track, Disappear.

For those of you who are interested, the band played everything shown on the setlist below and "Step Back", "I See", "I Could Sleep (The Wuss Song) and "I Want You To Want Me".

I'll be putting together a separate post on the Kay Hanley interview in the next week or two, so more to come there. For now, enjoy a few live MP3s and photos (and setlist) from the show and let's keep our fingers crossed for some more Letters to Cleos show in the future.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Laudanum
Awake
Because of You
Veda Very Shining
Here & Now
I Could Sleep (The Wuss Song)

Labels: dallas, indie, kay hanley, letters to cleo, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, the loft