American rock band Fountains of Wayne, accompanied by singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten on bass, reunited to play “Hackensack” in tribute to their late founding member, Adam Schlesinger. The performance was part of April 22’s Jersey 4 Jersey benefit broadcast, which featured a stacked lineup of famous New Jersey musicians and raised money for the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund.
The performance was the first by Fountains of Wayne since their 2013 breakup. It was in tribute to bassist and founding member Adam Schlesinger, who passed away April 1 due to complications from coronavirus. The band played “Hackensack,” single from their third studio album, 2003’s Welcome Interstate Managers. The album also featured perhaps the band’s most well-known single, “Stacy’s Mom,” which singer Chris Collingwood recently said he regrets in general and for its impact on Schlesinger’s legacy. A video of the partial performance is available via Twitter, while the full audio can be heard via YouTube.
Fountains of Wayne and Van Etten were joined by several other musical stalwarts from New Jersey. The Booklyn Vegan provided a comprehensive write-up and additional videos of the full event and lineup, which included Bruce Springsteen and his wife, Patty Scialfa, Jon Bon Jovi, Tony Bennett and Halsey. It also included appearances by Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Danny DeVito and Charlie Puth.
The artists and event join a growing number of quarantine- and pandemic-related streams. Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie has been hosting a weekly stream, and recently paid tribute to Schlesinger by covering Fountains of Wayne’s “Barbara H.” Radiohead has been streaming a series of past live performances, while alternative metal musician Devin Townsend recently started a three-part streaming quarantine concert series.
Photo Credit: Kalyn Oyer
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