Wheatus Unites Teenage Dirtbags Old & New on 25th Anniversary Tour

Ardmore Welcomes Wheatus

Written by Eric Sperrazza

Revised by LJ Portnoy, Editor-in-Chief

Ardmore, PA - “So, what do you want to hear?” inquired Wheatus brainchild and frontman Brendan B. Brown to a packed Ardmore Music Hall after ingratiating himself to fans in the front of the stage on Saturday.

The Origins of a Dirtbag

Brown founded the band in 1995 in New York City, and within a few years, Wheatus was practically the house band at the Luna Lounge on the Lower East Side. In 2000, they released their first self-titled LP, Wheatus, which saw two singles; “Teenage Dirtbag” and the cover of Erasure’s “A Little Respect.” Although both charted in the States and abroad, it was “Teenage Dirtbag” that saw the biggest success, appearing in the major motion picture soundtrack for the film “Loser.”

Although not a single, the song “Punk Ass Bitch” from the debut record was reworked as ‘Chan’s The Man” and used for the end credits of the 2000 cartoon series Jackie Chan Adventures. On March 20th of this year, Brown assembled Wheatus for a 25th Anniversary tour celebrating that very debut album and made a pitstop in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.

Punchline Brings the Energy

First on the stage was the Pennsylvania natives Punchline. The twenty-seven-year battle-tested road warriors of pop punk kicked off a nine-song opening set with the song “Darkest Dark” from the 2018 LION album. They continued with songs from the “Delightfully Pleased” and “Everywhere” LP, such as “Roller Coaster Smoke,” “Keystoned,” and “Flashlight.” Even though their set was fueled by high energy, it was the unlikely cover of The Cranberries “Linger” that was the crown jewel of their performance, somehow reimagining the very emotion that the song should in voke by merely playing it in their style.

A Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Setlist

Punchline packed up their gear, and Brown found his way to the stage first, glad-handing and giving well-wishes to fans. As the rest of Wheatus followed suit, Brown playfully began a “choose your own adventure” setlist, including the audience’s feedback on just how and when the songs from their debut record would be played in celebration of its anniversary…

And play they did!

Giving the audience every great song from the 2000 self-titled effort like “Truffles” and “Love is a Mutt From Hell,” Brown and friends worked the audience, with Brown bouncing from corner to corner on the stage, and even bringing up special guest, Will Landis, to accompany the band with banjo and harmonica for “Sunshine” and “Leroy.”

The band even did “Chan’s the Man!” scratching the itch of superfans calling out their requests. Of course, Wheatus would go on to perform their hit single, “A Little Respect,” and closed out the night with the inimitable “Teenage Dirtbag,” to the sing-along delight of every single person in the venue.

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Brendan Brown: A Fan’s Frontman

Afterward, Brown came out to the fully lit and emptied Hall to meet personally with every fan waiting, autographing ticket stubs and obliging to selfies. “It’s just so great,” said Brown when speaking to him about the new generation TikTok-fueled Gen Z fans in attendance.

And as it turns out, he is, in fact, a fan of Iron Maiden. Commenting on a fan’s Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album cover shirt, Brown would yell, “Great album! Underrated! Just like ‘Somewhere in Time!’“

A Nerd Punk Legacy

Some Geek Rock bands, like Weezer, can surpass their lane in the sub-genre and redefine themselves in the pop culture zeitgeist. Others, like Barenaked Ladies or They Might Be Giants, never veer off course. With that in mind, Wheatus stands unique. making music that reaches both Alternative fans and the pop-punk fanbase. Their singles stand uniquely alone in their sub-genre of Nerd Punk, thus making their shows more like the “The Breakfast Club” of fans. For a night, Admore Hall ticket holders could have been a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, or a criminal...but all were happy to be together while putting on the warm blanket of nostalgia and belting out “Teenage Dirtbag,” arm and arm.