Jimmy Eat World sets a new standard for livestream shows with their Phoenix Sessions series

Jimmy Eat World wrapped up their Phoenix Sessions livestream series last night by performing 1999’s Clarity album in full, culminating a trio of shows that also featured full album sets of 2004’s Futures and 2019’s Surviving.

Set up in a semicircle configuration in the midst of the industrial-looking space that was brightened up with living room aesthetics including a leather couch and plants, the band wasted no time kicking things off, running through the first half-dozen tracks off Clarity in a Ramones-like fashion before taking time to address the virtual crowd.

That’s not to suggest there was anything rushed about the performance — previously recorded and edited, the show aired “live” yesterday afternoon, but still retained the look and feel of a traditional rock show.

The band sounded incredible, with frontman Jim Atkins’ emotive vocals taking centre stage amidst the album’s meticulously-constructed songs. Clarity might be Jimmy Eat World’s most adventurous album — there’s much less of the anthemic sing-alongs that the band would be known for in the future, and many of the songs still retain the woozy emo-rock leanings of the band’s beginnings, including almost-meditative tracks like album opener “Table for Glasses,” and “12.23.95.”

Clarity also featured the band dabbling with electronic music, with computerized sounds adding texture throughout the album. For this performance, the band (singer-guitarist Jim Atkins, guitarist-vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach Lind) also included their longtime live member Robin Vining on guitar, keyboard, and on the electronic manipulation side of things to flesh out the Clarity tracks in a live setting.

Nearly a year into the pandemic, acts have gotten smarter about their livestream shows — while much of the world hasn’t been able to see a band in the flesh for months on end, broadcasting an acoustic set via an iPhone has gotten pretty stale. With these Phoenix Sessions shows, Jimmy Eat World has truly brought fans as close to the live experience as possible. The show featured actual tour-worthy production, including lights, smoke, and projections behind the band that featured complementary imagery and lyric snippets. The multi-camera set-up brought each band member into focus but was never too busy. Presented in a widescreen format and with killer sound, the show fell somewhere in-between a cinematic experience and a traditional rock show — all that was missing was the smell of spilled beer and someone occasionally stepping on your toes.

The livestream also felt like an event, with an extensive Q&A pre-show (stream that below) and the full album performance of a beloved fan-favourite album featuring a number of tracks the band rarely plays live anymore. With a moving performance and top-notch audio and video, Jimmy Eat World has set a new standard for livestreams with this Phoenix Sessions series. Until we can all get together in a sweaty venue and sing-along with the band again, this is the next best thing.

For more information on the Jimmy Eat World Phoenix Sessions, head to the band’s official livestream site.