Let’s just start here: Fastball’s recent set at Pier Six Pavilion felt like someone cracked open a dusty jukebox at high tide and let it breathe. It was about halfway through the Barenaked Ladies’ summer tour stop, and the early evening light was still doing that rainy, gray thing it does on the harbor. The boats bobbing beside the pier weren’t even pretending to care, but the people packed into those blue plastic seats? We were locked in.
You could smell the breeze off the water — part diesel, part salt, part sausage cart — and just for a second, it felt like the late ’90s again. Like MTV still played videos, and nobody had ever heard the word algorithm outside of math class. And here comes Fastball — no grand entrance, no gimmicks. Just three guys with guitars and drums, like they showed up because they still had something to say.
At Pier Six Pavilion on June 8, Fastball opened with “Sooner or Later,” and it hit like a memory you didn’t know you were missing. That riff, that bounce — it was like brushing against your old varsity jacket and realizing it still sorta fits. The mix was clean, the vocals sat right where they needed to, and Tony Scalzo’s voice is still smooth, still sharp. Like he kept it in a glovebox and only brought it out when it mattered.
“You’re an Ocean” followed, and people started nudging each other. You could see it — tiny gasps of recognition, like someone just remembered where they were when that track used to come on the radio. Joey Shuffield behind the drums was cool as hell, barely breaking a sweat. He plays like he’s got all the time in the world, and he’s just lending you some.
Watch the official music video for “You’re an Ocean” by Fastball on YouTube:
“Hummingbird” came next, and it landed somewhere between heartbreak and sunshine. Kind of like falling asleep on a porch swing with a beer in your hand and a breakup text unread in your pocket. Nobody talks about that one enough, but man — it carried.
“Fire Escape” ramped the energy way up. That one always had teeth, and they let it snarl a little tonight. Miles Zuniga was grinning like he just got away with something, and honestly, maybe he did. The band’s always had that edge — pop sensibility dressed up in indie bar-band charm — but this version felt punchier. Like they’d finally stopped trying to be polite about it.
Then we got a surprise. “Love Comes in Waves” started, mellow and open-chested. The crowd ate it up. There’s a certain kind of joy that only exists when a band leans into the absurd, and this was it. People were singing along, and you could tell the band was loving every weird minute of it.
“Out of My Head” was up next, and yeah, it still gets people. The place got quiet in that way where the hush feels earned. Nobody’s faking their way through that chorus — it’s too honest. You look around and see people mouthing the lyrics with this odd kind of reverence. Like they know exactly who they were when they first heard it, and they’re not embarrassed by it anymore. And then, “The Way.” You knew it was coming, but still — those first notes dropped like warm rain. Everyone snapped back to life. Arms went up. Some folks danced; others just stood there grinning, glassy-eyed. And Tony sang it like it never got old. Like it was still strange and magical and a little dangerous. Like he still didn’t quite know where those two people disappeared to in that Chrysler.
Watch the official music video for “The Way” by Fastball on YouTube:
What’s wild is how a song that’s technically about vanishing can make everyone feel so present. Maybe that’s the trick: Fastball doesn’t try to transport you back. They just show up, play the hell out of the songs, and leave you with this strange ache that feels like possibility. And when they left the stage — no fuss, no encore — you could feel this ripple go through the crowd. Not disappointment, just… reflection. Like we all stumbled into something bigger than a warm-up set.
Fastball didn’t try to steal the show. They just reminded us that they never really left. And as the night grew darker and the stage crew started resetting for the next act, the breeze picked up again — carrying pieces of those songs back out over the water like fireflies you weren’t quite ready to lose.
Setlist
1. Sooner or Later
2. You’re an Ocean
3. Hummingbird
4. Fire Escape
5. Love Comes in Waves/The Joker
6. Out of My Head
7. The Way
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Here are some photos of Fastball performing live at Pier Six Pavilion on June 8, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Michael Sprouse/ Odd Rocker Photography.
