Candlebox celebrated the 25th anniversary of its breakthrough debut album at the Paramount by playing the album in its entirety to a sold-out crowd Saturday night.
The band’s original lineup of singer Kevin Martin, guitarist Peter Klett, bassist Bardi Martin, and drummer Scott Mercado, performed the album and they sounded as fresh as they must’ve when “Candlebox” was released in 1993.
Despite being a multi-platinum success and selling more than 5 million albums worldwide, Candlebox was considered a sell out by some Seattle music fans in the ’90s. Their success seemingly came out of nowhere and because they hadn’t appeared to struggle and pay their dues like their counterparts in Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam and other big Seattle bands eyebrows were raised.
If you were a musician in the 90s being labeled a sell out could be a career-ending Scarlet Letter, and adding to Candlebox’s faux sell-out narrative was that they were the first band signed to Madonna’s 
Maverick Records label (gasp!) and seen by some as Madge’s attempt to cash-in on the grunge craze. Associating yourself with the Material Girl was only something a lamestain would do during the decade of flannel, slackers and a saxophone-playing president.
But none of that mattered during the group’s celebration of 25 years Saturday night. The members of Candlebox were clearly humbled by the sold-out turnout and the band executed the songs on “Candlebox” perfectly.
Especially impressive throughout the show was the guitar work of Klett, whose flourishes and sharp solos were on point all night, as was Martin’s powerful voice. It’s clear he’s taken good care of his instrument throughout the years.
“No Sense” gave Klett an early opportunity to shred and during the breakdown Martin improvised a loving lyrical modification of The Doors’ “The End” (“Father. Yes son. I miss you./Mother. I love you”). “Arrow” was given some oomph and played louder and heavier than the recorded version. It inspired a small semblance of a mosh pit filled with middle-aged men at the front of the room and lots of air guitar shredding at the back of the house.
“Cover Me,” the album’s penultimate song and its sneakiest track, ended up being one of the most inspired performances of the night. It’s one of those rock song rarities that’s both a ballad and one of the best songs on record littered with hits.
“It’s a crapshoot, rock ‘n’ roll, and there’s a lot of luck involved. We never ever took it for granted,” Martin told the crowd.
The performance carried a feeling of happiness, celebration and gratitude and throughout the concert Martin expressed his appreciation for the success the hometown fans afforded him and his bandmates. He told the crowd openers Sweetwater and Green Apple Quickstep, both veterans of the 90s scene, were chosen because they gave Candlebox plenty of opportunities and opened doors for the band.
“It changed our lives,” Martin said about playing with the two bands.
“It’s petty amazing for us to come back here and play the same place we played back in 1993,” he said. “I feel like a 22-year-old kid again.”
When Martin introduced “Far Behind,” one of Candlebox’s biggest hits, he revealed that he wrote the song about the late Andy Wood of Mother Love Bone.
“I met him when I was 16 yrs old and will never forget him,” said Martin.
He said the song was written in Mother Love Bone’s rehearsal space and Saturday night Martin dedicated it to Chris Cornell and Layne Staley.
The two rock legends weren’t the only Seattle icons the band paid tribute to during the song. Midway through “Far Behind” Klett broke into a 3-minute “Voodoo Chile” which sounded massive in the storied venue.
With tributes to Hendrix, Staley and Cornell, opening sets by a pair of scene stalwarts and an introduction by Peter Cornell (formerly of Inflatable Soul and Chris’ brother), the show was as much a celebration of the Seattle and its place in 90s as it was the band itself.
“We had no idea what we were doing. In 1991 this city was on fire,” Martin said. “All we did was make the best record we knew how.”
