BETHLEHEM, Pa. — After alternative band Augustana had its big hit "Boston" and follow-up "Sweet and Low" in the mid-2000s, the group quickly faded, then disappeared.
That left listeners to wonder how the band, so emotionally invested and expressive 20 years ago, might have developed and what it might sound like today.
That question was answered Saturday with Augustana's free show on Musikfest's Americaplatz stage at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks.
And the answer was what fans likely hoped: The 21-song, 80-minute show displayed a more mature, experienced and musically broad Augustana that has grown with its audience, but with the same angst that drew them in the first place.
A huge key to that success were the songs from Augustana's new album, "Something Beautiful" — the group played seven of the disc's 10 song, which turns out is a litany of life lessons learned over those two decades away.
But Augustana — now made up of lead singer/frontman Dan Layus and three new players — also infused its catalog with new life, adding new perspective and fresh approaches to some of its best-known songs.
Strong new material
Ironically, the set started with a song from one of those discs Augustana released after the spotlight faded: "On the Other Side" from 2011's self-titled disc.
But the message sounded clear: Layus and Augustana now see themselves on the other side — the other side of maturation and of all that initial hype.
Dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans, Layus sang it intensely and heartfelt, with his eyes squeezed shut.
But it was the new songs that showed just how much Augustana has matured, both in music and message.
"Stand on My Own" was more forceful and fiery rock, and Layus pushed his voice ragged. On "Count on Each Other," his voice was warmer and quieter, and the message obvious, as Layus ducked away from the microphone for emphasis.
Later, the new, very piano-driven and excellent "Carry the World" offered a similar mature viewpoint, with its lyrics "I don't want to live in the past."
And the very good "Farther Down the Line" was just what the title suggests, as Layus sang, "My life is just a little farther down the line."
During "Hear Your Name," an echoey but straight-forward rocker, Layus even pointed out what a great night it was, with comfortable temperatures and a sky highlighted by a big moon.
Layus seemed to explain the high level of the material from "Something Beautiful" by saying, "Well, it took us about 10 years to get a record out."
'Rising up like a phoenix'
Another big point the concert made was just how good the music Augustana made after its initial run of success was — even though it got far less attention than the early hits.
"Need a Little Sunshine" from 2014's "Life Imitating Life" seemed also from a personal perspective, and Layus spat out the words like a warning.
"Youth is Wasted on the Young," from the same disc, burned and percolated.
But perhaps the night's best, and maybe Augustana's best, were "Shot in the Dark" — an under-appreciated single from 2012 that also was given an even more-mature treatment, and so engaged the crowd (perhaps 2,000, but still smaller than the band deserved) clapped along.
And "Steal Your Heart" from the same disc, with Layus jerking emphatically as he sang.
The 2019 stand-alone single "The Heart of It" was more mature Augustana — just want you might expect the older band to sound like.
And "Ash and Ember," also from "Life Imitating Life," was offered as much harder rock than the original, but showed Augustana, as the song says, "rising up like a phoenix."
The hits, and the journey
Of course, Augustana's hits were what most came to hear, and the group obliged, but not without some changes.
Offered early, "Stars and Boulevard," the title song of the album that took Augustana to the top, had Layus on keyboards, but added a maturity of its own.
The mid-set, slow and intense "Fire" from its biggest album, 2008's "Can't Love, Can't Hurt," had Layus starting alone on keys before the whole band kicked in, and he still held the song's impossibly long ending note.
The 2008 Top 20 hit "I Still Ain't Over You" was a good as remembered, and Layus changed the words to "it's been 20 years and three months."
And Augustana's second-biggest hit, "Sweet and Low," still sounded good and connected.
But it was clear much of the audience had come to hear "Boston," and Augustana played it just as remembered, when it was used on the finale of "One Tree Hill."
Layus again changed the words, singing, "I'm right here back in Bethlehem/Where some people know my name."
Then, as if to tie together the journey, Augustana closed with the "Always a Way Out," a flat-out (heartfelt) rocker that showed the journey Augustana has taken, and how it sounds today.
