The Toledo Sports Arena was home to a number of minor league hockey teams during it’s sixty-year run, five different to be exact. No doubt during those times it saw it’s share of rock shows, some pretty incredible, including acts like Neil Young and Pearl Jam.

Nobody will mistake this show for being this show for being incredible.

Headliners Candlebox were touring on their then new album Lucy, which had come out a month before. Upon first listen, it was evident the album lacked the singles on the self-titled debut, but that didn’t stop the band for putting on a big, loud and confident rock show. What was more interesting were the support bands.

Sponge was a year into their freshman album Rotting Pinata, and thanks to heavy rotation on singles like Plowed and Molly, were gaining traction nationally, not bad for what started as a regional band from Detroit. Our Lady Peace were the least known -openers from Toronto, Canada, they also had a year-old debut album in tow, but traded the grunge/punk ethic of Sponge for a much broader sonic pallette.

Lead guitarist Mike Turner had clearly listened to plenty of Cult records, as he leads were very reminscent of late-80s Billy Duffy, but the whole thing centered on helium-voiced lead singer Raine Maida, channeling a Jane’s era Perry Farrell through Rush. The first album was big and ambitious, something the band would not return to on subsequent albums aimed squarely at mainstream radio.