The Nick's Fat City reunion at Stage AE was a rocking trip down memory lane

Pittsburgh is a nostalgic town. We love looking back at the glory days of our professional sports victories, and driving directions from any Yinzer are likely to rely on you knowing where something “used to be.”

These days, one of those “used to be” locations could very well be Nick’s Fat City, a venue that earned its place in the pantheon of the Pittsburgh music scene during the 1990s. While it saw its share of superstars — including appearances by Bruce Springsteen, with local legend Joe Grushecky — it was also a place for local bands to flourish.

Thanksgiving is also a good time to reflect and reminisce with old friends and family in town. That made it the perfect weekend for another Nick’s Fat City reunion show at Stage AE on the North Shore, bringing together seven acts who found a home and a fanbase at the now-closed South Side hotspot for a rocking night to remember. The Clarks headlined the show.

The crowd gathered early on Saturday night, showing up by 5 p.m. for the lengthy evening’s opening band, Push. The band released two albums in the late 1990s and even got some radio airplay on WDVE with their song “Eye to Eye.” Between singing a series of memorable tunes, Mike Marks remarked that the band hadn’t done this “since the last Nick’s Fat City reunion.” He was surprised by how many people showed up for them — but he shouldn’t have been; the band offered up a rip-roaring set that frankly could have been longer.

They were followed up by Vibro Kings, who brought a scorching set of funk to the evening. But they also brought a big dose of memories, taking time to remember both those who were there, and those who have passed on, including their own bandmate, Brian Palmer.

Having recorded their own live album at Nick’s Fat City in 1996, Vibro Kings had a lot to look back on, and did through great music and a few thoughtful interludes about the past — and present — of Pittsburgh music.

The third act was Grapevine, a more guitar-driven band that played the kind of exuberant-but-melancholy alternative rock hat made a major mark on the late 1990s. They sounded terrific despite some self-consciousness from lead singer Jean-Marc Azoury, who declared after a couple of songs that he was under the weather and just hoping to make it through the 40 minute set. He succeeded, and looked like he had a whole lot of fun doing it — Grapevine, just like all of the bands, expressed a lot of gratitude for the opportunity to play again in front of a packed house.

It’s important to note that all of these bands had fans in the crowd. From Push on forward, certain songs got more applause and the murmurs of singing along were present. But that was amplified when Buzz Poets took the stage. With playful lyricism, catchy pop punk beats — with a little ska and rap thrown in — they got the audience jumping and dancing en masse, and when the band asked the crowd to use their cell phone flashlights to vote on which of two songs they should play (“One More Dance” or Barbie Q”), hundreds of lights shone towards the stage (“Barbie Q” ultimately won out).

1990s Pittsburgh staple band Brownie Mary was up next. Lead singer Kelsey Friday appeared to be having the time of her life, bopping and strutting around the stage as she belted out the band’s oh-so-’90s songs in her smoky-but-melodic voice. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m the only woman on the bill,” she said, to heavy cheers from the ladies in the crowd.

“Thirty years ago to this day, we played at Nick’s Fat City,” she noted. “Which ages us, but it also ages all of you. So we’re in this together, my friends.”

The 53-year-old singer emphasized how special the Pittsburgh music scene was in the 1990s, a theme that was omnipresent throughout the night.

With the sold-out crowd now packing the indoor portion of Stage AE, The Gathering Field took the stage at about 9:30 p.m. to enthusiastic cheers. Lead singer Bill Deasy has retained his soulful voice, and the band’s folky alt-rock still sounds timeless.

Looking back at the time of Nick’s Fat City and the continuation of the local music scene today, Deasy said, “We’re all great bands, but it would’ve been nothing without you. So thank you. It’s so nice to see you all again. You all look exactly the same.” The heavily Gen-X crowd laughed heartily at that.

Deasy dedicated the set — and especially its closer, their biggest song, “Lost in America” — to those who aren’t with us anymore.

Headlining the night were The Clarks, a band that needs no introduction to southwestern Pennsylvania. After 38 years, the group is still consistently performing and making music — their latest single, “No. 9,” was released in October and received a great response when it was played Saturday night.

After almost four decades, lead singer Scott Blasey’s distinctive voice is as strong as ever, and he used it to great effect on songs from all throughout the band’s discography. There were plenty of songs from 2000’s “Let It Go” — their biggest commercial success, album-wise — including the title track, “Better Off Without You,” the appropriately nostalgic “Butterflies and Airplanes” and a rendition of “Born Too Late” where Blasey could barely be heard over the crowd’s singing along.

But they also played earlier songs, including opener “These Wishes” and “Courtney,” as well as later-era favorites such as “Shimmy Low” and “On Saturday.”

Blasey brought Bill Deasy back out to help perform “Penny on the Floor,” always a heartfelt tune but especially so at this show.

Then he remembered walking into Doc’s Place on Walnut Street in Shadyside in the ’90s after being told he had to hear Kelsey Friday sing. “My jaw was on the floor, just like everybody else, and I thought, ‘man, it’s gonna be a good decade,’” he said. Friday joined the band to perform their song “Roses.”

But the highlight came towards the end of the Clarks’ set when they performed their classic, “Cigarette.” Really letting it rip on vocals and guitar solos, the band whipped the crowd into a frenzy before cooling things down before the bridge. Blasey waxed poetic about what he would do on a Saturday night back in the day. “I think when the night’s over I’m going to walk next door to Nick’s Fat City, I’m gonna get me a little chicken on a stick. I might drive to Bloomfield and go to this little club I know that’ll let me in after 2 a.m., I think it’s called The Castle.”

He talked about watching the Steelers, now-defunct nightclub Rosebud and the joy of writing songs and playing music with his best friends. “Just be thankful for everything we have. Just like tonight, people. We’re still here. We … made it. Give yourself a pat on the back.”

And then he sang that legendary bridge, and the crowd was deafening when they sang along with “biiiiig hair.”

The night felt like one big family reunion, even amongst the sold-out audience — weaving through the crowd, you could hear snatches of high school remembrances and shared stories of late nights at Nick’s Fat City, told with gusto and reverence. The venue is still alive in the hearts and minds of those who were there, and those who pass that music on to this day.

That said, prayers for Advil and a strong heating pad for all the Gen Xers who stood at Stage AE through the whole show last night — seven hours is hard on the knees and back.