Review: In Clearwater, Jakob Dylan directs the Wallflowers through heartland rock-inspired set

“You’re yawning,” a slightly shocked Jakob Dylan told a young fan midway through “6th Avenue Heartache” on Sunday night.

Before performing the Wallflowers’ 1996 debut single, the group’s 54-year-old frontman acknowledged that he had played downtown Clearwater’s Bilheimer Capitol Theatre in 2022 and that it warmed his heart to see that much of this sold-out crowd was made up of repeat offenders from last time.

“That’s what we’re trying to do every night: Do a good show so you’ll come back,” he explained. A few minutes later, he learned that the yawner up close wasn’t necessarily bored, but didn’t know the track at all.

“Is it a school night?” He asked. “This is all I got! We’re doing it right now. This is it!”

Ever since COVID-19 restrictions loosened up, Dylan and his five-piece repertoire have been on the road pushing 2021’s Exit Wounds, which showcases the band’s ever-evolving Americana sound in a new light. The record features some backing and co-lead vocals from Shelby Lynne—an alto in the same genre realm as Dylan—and was the band’s first release since 2012 (and no, the soundtrack to “Echo In The Canyon” is not a Wallflowers record), so a long tour proving that a ‘90s band can keep improving its sound 30 years in—rather than continuing to live high off of its first two albums—is perfectly reasonable.

At 9:15 p.m., over an instrumental version of Iron Butterfly’s “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” all six members of The Wallflowers hit the stage at almost the same time, and a Telecaster-wielding Dylan, clad in a jet-black leather jacket and half-buttoned red shirt, immediately led the band into 2002’s “Everything I Need.” The mellow slowdown that was 2021’s “Move The River” was to follow, with Lynne’s original backing vocals substituted with such additions coming from keyboardist Aaron Embry.

To the surprise of no one, it became clear pretty quickly that Dylan largely takes after the showmanship of longtime family friend (and one of his dad’s fellow Traveling Wilburys) Tom Petty. For one thing, he maintains full control of his five-piece group in a powerful yet humble manner. He doesn’t aim to captivate his crowds in the ways Freddie Mercury once did, but his eye contact, loose directing skills, and constant stage sauntering give off zero intimidating vibes, and only gets you thinking about how he’s most likely good friends with his bandmates offstage as well as on.

While he was definitely the band’s main rhythm guitarist, Dylan left most of the six-string talent to Chris Masterson, who had a few hefty-toned Gibson SGs at his disposal. Most of Dylan’s strumming only took place during the chorus of whatever song the band was in the middle of, while the rest of his time would be spent making hand gestures, pointing out audience members from time to time, and even just lifting his guitar vertically beside his head.

Also, nary a song went by where at least one of his bandmates didn’t get to showcase their talent. On the band’s cover of Van Morrison’s “Into The Mystic” (recorded for “American Wedding,” the third installment in the “American Pie” franchise), second guitarist Ben Peeler—a co-founder of The Mavericks—strummed out a glorious opening on the mandolin. Embry’s Benmont Tench-esque organ bits were lingering in the background of just about every track, and it was interesting hearing him kick “When You’re On Top” off with a proper piano segment, which is far different from Rami Jaffee’s original, single-note-repeated intro that introduced 2002’s Red Letter Days as a whole.
During his mostly short, bluesy shred sections, Masterson would often bend sideways like Lindsey Buckingham, and whenever Dylan wandered his way, you could tell in the guitarist’s eyes that he wished he could lean up against his boss to rip out a solo together. And drummer Mark Stepro was in charge of a good chunk of any segues into new songs, while also providing a few backing vocals.

“A handful of drummers can sing. Levon [Helm] could sing, Peter Criss could sing one song, but he can sing any song,” Dylan explained during his mid-“Shy of the Moon” band introductions late into his set.

His first axe switch would come when he swapped his Telecaster out for an acoustic for the easy-going “Roots and Wings,” which Stepro indeed segued into “I Hear The Ocean (When I Wanna Hear Trains),” making some wish that he did the same thing in the studio during production on Exit Wounds. After all, that was the order in which the songs appeared on the album.

Perhaps the only aspect that could have made the gig ideal was a better sound mix. Compared to other venues the band has played this year, the Bilheimer Capitol Theatre is far more compact, and the acoustics are a bit pickier than those in other rooms. But from the rafters, there were times when Dylan’s husky voice was inaudible next to the sound of Masterson and Peeler’s whimsy guitarring. But truthfully, let a few moments of unclarity be the worst thing that happens at a Wallflowers show.

It’s no secret that Dylan is a beast of a music historian, and he greatly values those who came before him.

“You guys have raised some giants. You lost one recently…Dickey Betts,” he advised. This remark led Peeler to start ripping out the late Osprey resident’s main guitar lick from the Allman Brothers Band’s “Ramblin’ Man,” which Dylan and company would join in on shortly after.

After a rousing “One Headlight” and the funky, protective “Who’s That Man Walking ‘Round My Garden,” Dylan went even further into Petty mode by saluting what seems to be his favorite artist of all time with a Wallflowersified “Refugee,” and the rarely performed “Even The Losers.” He even brought out Jade Castrinos (who appeared in the Dylan-led 2018 documentary “Echo in the Canyon”) to sway and provide a bar or two worth of backing vocals on Petty’s “The Waiting” and of course, triumphant set closer “The Difference.”

St. Pete-based indie rock outfit Mercy McCoy—stripped down to a four-piece—opened for the band with a half-hour-long set consisting of mostly “brand-spankin’ new songs” (as promised on social media beforehand), some of which won’t release until June. This wasn’t the first time that Stefan Scheuermann and company have opened for the Wallflowers either, so don’t be too surprised if you catch Dylan at a release party of some sort in the Bay Area this year.

But if the band picked anything up from Sunday night’s headliner, take as many photos as you want (Dylan himself said that fans should feel free to "snap away"), but God help you if you yawn.