Fountains of Wayne have announced their first show following the death of Adam Schlesinger, their bassist and general pop culture songwriter extraordinaire, in April 2020. The power-pop band will perform at Milwaukee’s Summerfest, on the Fourth of July, alongside other acts such as Benson Boone, the Lumineers, Chicago, and Porter Robinson. Eve 6’s Max Collins will take over for Schlesinger on bass. See the Summerfest lineup in the poster below.
Later this year, on Friday, September 26, the reunited Fountains of Wayne will perform at Oceans Calling Festival, in Ocean City, Maryland. See the poster for that event below, too.
Schlesinger died from COVID-19 complications at the age of 52. In addition to his own bands Fountains of Wayne and Ivy, the musician was both critically revered and a cult icon as a prolific songwriter for film and TV. He won three Emmy Awards, one Grammy Award, and was nominated for additional Academy Awards, Tony Awards, and Golden Globe Awards. Countless tributes were released in Schlesinger’s honor following his death, including a special covers album, livestream reunions by Fountains of Wayne and That Thing You Do! cast members, and a 2021 star-studded tribute show.
This Summerfest set will be Fountains of Wayne’s first public performance in 12 years. Their last studio album, Sky Full of Holes, came out in 2011, and the band went on hiatus two years later. Fountains of Wayne reissued their 2003 album, Welcome Interstate Managers, which includes the hit “Stacy’s Mom,” on vinyl in 2021.
While Fountains of Wayne did get back together—with Sharon Van Etten filling in on bass and singing backup vocals—for the Jersey 4 Jersey benefit show in 2020, that was a livestream-only event. Afterward, they released a version of “Hackensack,” featuring Van Etten, to raise money for the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund.
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