Reunion shows can be a tricky highwire to balance. They will often attract a loyal, long-term fanbase for attendance, and many of these fans will have seen the band or artist back in their prime and have memories of past shows to compare the present version of the band to. And a bit of rust is to be expected. Older songs will often have their keys lowered to accommodate vocal ranges that have dropped over the years, and stage chemistry will not be the same as the version of the band that spent WAY too much time together on stage and in the bus / van together on those long trips between tour stops many years before. But nothing beats a reunion show in the hearts of fans, long-term and new alike.

Seattle alternative veterans Poor Old Lu (who were contemporaries of such luminaries as Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Soundgarden back in the grungy days of that city's music scene) had a fantastic hometown reunion show in the fall of 2025 at the legendary Showbox theatre. This venue, which has hosted artists from Louie Armstrong and Frank Sinatra to the aforementioned icons of the Seattle grunge scene of the 1990's, was the perfect venue for the psychedelic, soulful alternative rock that Poor Old Lu had a hand in pioneering back in those days.

Starting off with a string of their "greatest hits," the band played to their former strengths and rolled out the groovy and hard-hitting "Rail" from their landmark album, A Picture Of The Eighth Wonder. The slow, methodical and trippy guitars of the long intro to this dynamite song build and wail till the eventual lyrics start in: "Jesus tie these hands / I used to think / That everything I touched / Turned gold / But it don't / It turns cold / and reason guides this man / Like spring, and fall / And wind to sand / I sway, I sway, / I cannot stand / what do I do, / When it seems I relate to Judas / More than You?"

The following "For The Love Of My Country” and "All Pretty For The TV" rock with abandon while offering the sort of keen social and political observations that are sorely lacking in today's Christian music market: "I see the wealthy guy / The world in his eyes / He need not contain no pain or shame / "And never will," I cry / And I'm a dirty word / You know I'm so absurd / If I write things off as meaningless / So I'm never heard." This pointed bit of cultural commentary could just as easily been written in the social media age, ("All Pretty For The Instagram," maybe?) and shows the sharp writing acumen of the band. That both songs rock and groove hard and sound great live is a definite plus for the band. And ending with the epic and ironic (considering Seattle's legendary rainy climate) "Hello Sunny Weather," and the slightly goofy "Cannon Fire Orange," was a great choice for this fine setlist. Poor Old Lu wrote sharp, poignant songs from a faith perspective and should be required listening for any like-minded band starting out nowadays.

At The Showbox is a great starting point for those new to this veteran band; with a great overview of their finest album moments ("Where Were All Of You" and "The Weeds That Grow Around My Feet" are prime examples of this), and a heartfelt, lived-in performance by the band. And this performance will no doubt have their many fans clamoring for a new album.

So come on Poor Old Lu, you know that you have another album in you!

- Review date: 9/7/26, written by Alex Caldwell of Jesusfreakhideout.com