Matthew Sweet

In the early '90s, Matthew Sweet seemed to be poised for something big, a power-pop revivalist whose albums Girlfriend and Altered Beast made him an MTV alt-rock fixture. But by the end of the decade, he'd settled into a less lucrative but more comfortable setting as a cult artist, eventually reaching big-in-Japan status (his 2003 album Kimi Ga Suki * Raifu created for just that very audience) and trading in megastar status for creative freedom. Now that we've had high school kids who were born after "Girlfriend" came out rocking out to Sweet's biggest hit on Guitar Hero II, Sweet has the golden opportunity to connect with a new generation of fans, and his new album Sunshine Lies (Shout Factory) should give them a good idea of where he's been all this time. The Bridges open. 18+
Wed., Oct. 22, 7 p.m., 2008