The Gaslight Anthem / Pela / Good Old War @ Asbury Park 5/9

June 23, 2009

For the second night in a row, The Gaslight Anthem played the sold out Stone Pony in Asbury Park. This would be the final date on a tour that began in March for a band that has been on the road non-stop since issuing The ‘59 Sound last summer, which was in fact their second release of 2008. Needless to say, The Gaslight Anthem should look tired and fatigued–but that simply was not the case.

Good Old War's Keith Goodwin, ready to play a second standing guitar.

Good Old War's Dan Schwartz, ready to play a second standing guitar.

Opening act Good Old War took the stage at 6:30PM. Joined by the boys in The Gaslight Anthem, the Pennsylvania indie/folk trio opened with a cover of “Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key”. Originally penned by Woody Guthrie (but performed on Mermaid Avenue, a joint album by Wilco and Billy Bragg), the song was immediately recognizable as the basis for The Gaslight Anthem’s own “Red at Night”.

Good Old War’s remarkable voices and musical ability were immediately apparent; the band harmonized with ease, transforming good songs from 2008’s Only Way To Be Alone into great live performances. Drummer Tim Arnold kept guitarists Keith Goodwin and Dan Schwartz in perfect time, even as they switched instruments–or as Schwartz played two guitars at the same time, one of them on a special stand allowing him to do so–throughout the set.

Pela's Billy McCarthy and Eric Sanderson.

Pela's Billy McCarthy and Eric Sanderson.

Brooklyn’s Pela followed, working hard to reach the extremely high bar set by Good Old War. The band’s vastly different style (loud and fast) was a perfect segue from the more mellow Good Old War into The Gaslight Anthem. To say frontman Billy McCarthy poured his heart into the band’s performance would be an understatement; the puddles of sweat left on stage had to mean he gave more. Never still for even a moment, McCarthy ran, jumped, and fell all over the stage–all while playing guitar and delivering a strong vocal performance. Pela combined classic rock and roll with punk energy, and although Good Old War is clearly the more talented band (those harmonies!), Pela was excellent, and each band cannot be complemented enough on their live performances. Indeed, on any other night either opening act could have stolen the show from most headliners.

Still, hometown favorites The Gaslight Anthem had no trouble trumping both openers. The band cut through The ‘59 Sound for most of the first half of their set, lightly sprinkling in more punk-inspired songs from Sink or Swim. Effortlessly moving between full-blown singalongs (”High Lonesome”) and quiet ballads (”Navesink Banks”), the band also covered Tom Petty (”American Girl”) by the night’s end. (Please check out my review of the band’s performance just six weeks earlier on the beginning of the tour for more details, as the songs and performance was generally the same. The previous review offers additional insight into some of the songs, as well.)

The Gaslight Anthem hardly stood still all evening.

The Gaslight Anthem hardly showed signs of touring fatigue.

Late in the band’s setlist the band touched on Senor and the Queen EP. During “Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts”, as frontman Brian Fallon was about to sing about “buying..that house on Cookman”, he paused; Cookman Avenue is across the street from the Stone Pony. He acknowledged how surreal it has been to be singing songs about Asbury Park to thousands of people around the country.

The Gaslight Anthem were constantly gracious the entire night, sensing that at any minute the band wouldn’t be that small anymore, assuring everyone in the crowd that they would always remain true to their punk-rooted ideals and their fans. With critical acclaim and incredible live performances gaining mainstream attention–not to mention a spot opening for a little known artist known as Bruce Springsteen–it shouldn’t be too long until they are put in position to defend that assertion.

All photos by Bob Sanderson.


The Gaslight Anthem / Heartless Bastards @ NYC 3/27

April 27, 2009

Arriving late to Webster Hall, I regrettably missed opening act Good Old War. I did arrive in time, however, to catch Ohio’s Heartless Bastards. The band is fronted by Erika Wennerstrom, handling the vocal and guitar duties. The band showed hints of promise during their last few songs, but the band’s redundant melodies and droning vocals bled together for most of the set–one best described as boring and uneventful.

In complete contrast, The Gaslight Anthem masterfully combined engaging melodies and roaring vocals. Beginning with “Great Expectations” and moving into “High Lonesome”, the band’s influences were quite clear from the start, borrowing from Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Counting Crows; by the third song, “Old White Lincoln”, they even touched on early Bob Dylan’s “Talkin’ World War III Blues”.

Also evident almost immediately is guitarist Alex Rosamilia’s tight technical ability, with intricate licks over Alex Levine’s rocksteady bassline. Rosamilia, whose primary influence is The Cure, lends an ’80s guitar mentality to a band dominated by traditional rock and roll progressions; the end result is a collection of songs that are deceptively simple in composition but are loaded with intricacies that keep things interesting underneath Brian Fallon’s vocals.

The band plowed through 2008’s The ‘59 Sound, including the title track, for most of the first half of their set list. The band stopped briefly to reflect on their longtime desire to play Webster Hall, with Fallon proudly proclaiming “We showed ‘em [that we could do it]!”

The Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon.

The Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon

Midway through the set the band took things back to their preteen years with a cover of Pearl Jam’s “State of Love and Trust” from Singles, the 1992 Seattle-based grunge-rock film starring Bridget Fonda, Campbell Scott, Kyra Sedgwick, and Matt Dillon. Classics from James Brown (”It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”) and Ben E. King (”Stand By Me”) also received brief treatment, as did the recent song “Geraldine” by Scottland’s Glasvegas.

The second half of the set featured selections from the band’s debut Sink or Swim (five total throughout the night), including the haunting “Navesink Banks” and more punk-influenced cuts such as “Boomboxes and Dictionaries”. The full setlist:

Great Expectations
High Lonesome
Old White Lincoln
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
We Came To Dance
The ‘59 Sound
Film Noir
Cassanova Baby
Wherefore Art Thou Elvis?
Miles Davis and the Cool
State Of Love and Trust (Pearl Jam cover)
Navesink Banks
Boomboxes and Dictionaries
Meet Me By the River’s Edge
Here’s Looking At You, Kid
The Backseat
Blue Jeans & White T-shirts
I’da Called You Woody, Joe
Angry Johnny and the Radio
Say I Won’t (Recognize)

The ‘59 Sound’s closer, “The Backseat”, was the band’s last track before a four song encore that split two tracks from Sink or Swim and two tracks from Señor and the Queen EP, the latter of which is home to the band’s final song of the evening, “Say I Won’t (Recognize)”. Drummer Benny Horowitz moves the song along at its various tempos, with the sing-a-long chorus invoking Sam Cooke’s “Having a Party” and involving the entire crowd: “We’re having a party, everybody’s swinging / Tonight won’t you come down / Don’t make me dance all night alone!”

With international praise (including a cover feature in Kerrang!, despite the magazine never once mentioning the band beforehand–a first in the magazine’s thirty year history), three radio singles, a feature on ESPN, and an opening spot for Bruce Springsteen, it’s hard to imagine The Gaslight Anthem remaining a backpocket band for long. Deservedly so.

The Gaslight Anthem's setlist

The Gaslight Anthem's twenty-song setlist, including a Pearl Jam cover.


Rise Against / Alkaline Trio / Thrice / The Gaslight Anthem @ NYC 10/14

October 23, 2008

Possibly the best tour of 2008 arrived in New York City on October 13 and 14, the four punk-inspired acts selling out the 3500 capacity Roseland each night. I made it out to the second night, anticipating a show featuring four of my favorite bands.

The Gaslight Anthem opened the evening with “Great Expectations”. Sounding as tight as the previous times I’ve seen them, they played for about thirty minutes, tossing in older songs in addition to new standards like The ‘59 Sound’s title track and “Say I Won’t (Recognize)”. On any other tour their performance likely would have stolen the show, but the young blue-collar punks were opening for some of the scene’s most talented veterans.

These veterans include Southern California’s Thrice, a band that has been redefining their sound for the last decade. The band opened with “The Messenger” from The Alchemy Index Vols. I + II, a hard-hitting track that set the tone for their set. Playing a fairly mixed set of cuts from as early as 2002 (”Deadbolt”), the band outshined The Gaslight Anthem’s incredible performance, even including a cover of The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter”. Songs such as “The Melting Point of Wax”, “The Artist in the Ambulance”, “Motion Isn’t Meaning”, “Of Dust and Nations”, and “Firebreather” found their way into the night as well before the band closed with a pummeling performance of Vheissu’s “The Earth Will Shake”.

Chicago dark-punk stalwarts Alkaline Trio took the stage next. In comparison to The Gaslight Anthem and Thrice, the band sounded flat and uninviting, despite playing for nearly an hour. The first two bands seemed to lure the entire audience (fans and newcomers alike) into their sound, but Alkaline Trio seemed to only excite diehards. Their newer material is less edgy, and songs like “Calling All Skeletons” just don’t do the band justice in a live setting. A combination of sloppy renditions of great songs (”Radio”) and playing after two great bands marred what could have been an otherwise strong outting.

Rise Against singer Tim McIlrath.

Rise Against frontman Tim McIlrath.

In no uncertain terms did Rise Against make a case for why they should be headlining a tour of this magnitude. Their set spanned much of the band’s existence, moving from loud and inciting (”State of the Union”) to calm and reflective (the well-crafted and beautiful “Swing Life Away”). The latter is largely responsible for their huge fan base–and rightfully so. Rise Against thrives on writing hook-laced singles that are great live songs (”Prayer of the Refugee”, “Ready To Fall”, “Re-Education (Through Labor)”).

Perhaps the band’s essence was summed up while covering Minor Threat’s “Minor Threat”, during which the band was joined by NOFX’s Fat Mike. The song combined the band’s primal influences with the man responsible for signing the band to their first record deal. All of this as part of a second encore, illustrating the band’s current status in 2008.

Rise Against never sounded so sure or so potent live, easily their best performance I’ve had a chance to experience. Vocalist Tim McIlrath’s sincere vocals demand the audience’s attention, and singalongs are never more than a verse away. Laying down for no man or government, the band pulls no punches and continues to demonstrate that a superior live show starts with great songs and ends with honest energy.

ATTENTION: inTuneMusic was unable to acquire any setlists from this incredible evening. If you know the songs in order of any of the bands from this evening please post them in the replies and the article will be updated! Thank you!


The Gaslight Anthem / The King Left / Let Me Run @ New Brunswick 9/12

October 13, 2008

Since the release of their sophomore full-length,The ‘59 Sound, I’ve been looking to see The Gaslight Anthem perform live–and what better place than in their New Brunswick hometown? Fellow North Jersey punks Let Me Run and New York City’s The King Left supported; Polar Bear Club, on the bill, canceled last minute due to van troubles.

Let Me Run opened the evening at Rutgers University’s Cook Campus Center. The band’s songs were brightly accented by a winding lead guitar, cutting through and overpowering the band’s otherwise simple progressions and rhythms. Strong vocals and big hooks add to the punch, and it’s hard not to recommend checking the band out live. The same can’t be said for their demo EP, handed out for free after their set; in the studio, they unfortunately don’t come off with the same aggression and tight sound, and it’s instantly forgettable. Hopefully their upcoming album on XOXO Records (former home of The Gaslight Anthem) is well-focused and potent, because the four-piece certainly shows talent and unexplored potential.

The King Left took the stage soon after, their sound quite different from that of Let Me Run. Inspired by the latest wave of throwback British indie bands, The King Left showcased musical talent and ability but ultimately proved to be too boring. Exciting songs suffered from excessive repetition without introducing anything worthwhile during the drawn out instrumentals. The band has toured with the likes of We Are Scientists, Secret Machines, and Tokyo Police Club; certainly their sound is comparable, but it is ultimately much less refined and not as appealing. Like Let Me Run, however, the band is young and shows much promise.

Introduced to the blue-collar punk-rock quartet last New Year’s Eve, I had the greatest expectations for The Gaslight Anthem. In a thus far docile crowd lurked at least fifty-dedicated Gaslight fans; they came to dance, ready to sing every one of frontman Brian Fallon’s lyrics. “Mary, this station is playing every sad song, I remember like we were alive” were his first words (from The ‘59 Sound’s first track, “Great Expectations”), and the crowd was immediately hooked.

The band wears their New Jersey influences proud, drawing from Bruce Springsteen to The Bouncing Souls, with stops on board with other influential artists across the map (and century) including Alkaline Trio and Otis Redding. The integration and synergy between rock legends and underground punk has never sounded so authentic, meaningful, or pure. By the time the band begins “Miles Davis and the Cool” (a nod to yet another of the band’s influences), a glance around the audience reveals a unifying thought on the minds of every new listener:

There’s something reassuringly familiar about The Gaslight Anthem, but at the same time it is incredibly new and exciting. No one dared look away during the band’s near two hour performance that spanned across their three release discography. The band played extremely well, with tight guitars and a solid rhythm section holding the band’s sound in place while Fallon sang his heart out. The vocals were mixed a bit low, and the room’s sound left much to be desired, but it hardly detracted from a band that clicked so well through their twenty song set:

Great Expectations
Wooderson
Casanova, Baby!
We Came to Dance
I’da Call You Woody, Joe
Angry Johnny On the Radio
The ‘59 Sound
Film Noir
Señor and the Queen
Old White Lincoln
Miles Davis & the Cool
Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
1930
Say I Won’t (Recognize)
The Backseat
The Patient Ferris Wheel
The Navesink Banks
Drive
I Coulda Been a Contender

Throughout the set Fallon told tales of the band’s recent trip to Australia, describing a fortune-teller who would tell the band fortunes for a nominal fee–but not the band’s fortunes, merely the fortunes of strangers in other parts of the country. Anecdotes like these filled the evening, the band joking with the crowd like the room was filled with old friends.

The band will open for Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, and Thrice for a fall tour, completing what could possibly be the best four-band lineup of 2008. If their performance at Rutgers is any indication, expect the band to hold their own on that monster bill of proven veterans.


Thursday / Circa Survive / The Gaslight Anthem / Innerpartysystem @ Sayreville 12/31

January 1, 2008

New Year’s Eve began formally by meeting up outside Sayreville’s Starland Ballroom with a handful of friends from around the country; this was quickly followed by happy hour with the guys in Thursday. It wouldn’t be for a few hours until the show began, but it was relaxing sitting at the bar for a bit while the bands soundchecked and set up on stage.

Philadelphia’s Innerpartysystem opened the evening, setting the tone for what would quickly become an incredible New Year’s Eve party. Best described as some sort of hybrid between Head Automatica (vocalist Patrick Nissley could be mistaken for Daryl Palumbo) and Men, Women & Children–somehow mixed with a heavier dance and electronica influence–the band didn’t interact with the crowd, instead focusing their brief time slot entirely on a light show-induced dance party with catchy hooks, pulsing beats, and surprisingly strong vocal deliveries.

Set changes were brief, and New Brunswick’s The Gaslight Anthem took the stage shortly after. Fans of older Alkaline Trio records take note, this could be your new favorite band. I had only briefly listened to the four-piece going into the evening, but their incredible live performance convinced me to pick up a copy of their debut, Sink or Swim. Lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Brian Fallon’s stage presence was incredibly strong for such a young band, and the rest of the band locked together tighter than any other band of the evening. Choruses became immediately crowd-singable the second time through each song, a remarkable feat considering most of the crowd was experiencing the band for the first time. Near the end of their set, they kicked into a solid rendition of Tom Petty’s classic “American Girl” before closing with “We’re Getting A Divorce”.

Circa Survive, Equal Vision Records’s progressive-rock tinged five-piece featuring ex-Saosin and This Day Forward members, came out as direct support to Thursday. The band played ten songs:

Wish Resign
Living Together
Mandala
Oh, Hello
In Fear and Faith
The Only Difference
Holding Someone’s Hair Back
Semi Constructive Criticism
Stop the Fucking Car
Kicking Your Crosses Down

A great setlist mixed evenly with tracks from Juturna and On Letting Go, vocalist Anthony Green engaged the crowd the entire performance albeit stumbling through a few lyrics from time to time. A band I’ve seen quite a few times, this was easily their strongest performance, though–it was nice to see them stick to their strongest older songs as well as mix in cuts from their latest effort. Songs like “Semi Constructive Criticism” come off as tame on the album when compared live, and “Kicking Your Crosses Down” received incredibly delicate treatment. On Letting Go songs translate so much better live; I’m now rethinking which Circa Survive album is actually my favorite.

Hosts Thursday took the stage around 11PM, their first New Year’s Eve show in exactly one decade; fans of the band will quickly recite that Thursday’s first show ever was in vocalist Geoff Rickly’s basement, December 31, 1998. Much has changed in ten years, and this particularly evening the band kicked off with Kill The House Lights’s “Dead Songs”, an interesting (but more importantly, refreshing) take on opening a Thursday show. Newly rejuvenated and reinserted into live shows, “Between Rupture and Rapture” followed, and anyone who didn’t know band’s new lyrics on the previous song certainly woke up to the War All The Time track.

“The Other Side Of The Crash/Over And Out (Of Control)” followed, and I quickly realized that the only people in attendance were actually Thursday fans–unlike many concerts where it’s something to do on a bored evening, or fans who enjoy one album or one single, the entire crowd sung along to a track that normally only saw limited audience engagement on previous tours. Met with interesting responses, A City By The Light Divided divided Thursday’s fan base; on this New Year’s Eve, however, it was the true fans who passed up other parties and attended the show, singing every word of the newer songs.

Partner to “Other Side”, “Understanding In A Car Crash” was next (as always), and the fans were treated to the first of three Full Collapse songs that evening, though unfortunately, staple-songs like “Paris In Flames” and “How Long Is the Night?” didn’t make it.

Eerie sounding, faith-questioning “Sugar In The Sacrament” came next, and it’s no question Geoff feels every haunted word sung. In contrast, the brash and abrasive “At This Velocity” kicked the crowd into a frenzy; the final drum roll segwayed into the pounding drums of “Division. St”. Not one of my favorite Thursday songs–I find it too personal and direct–I did listen to Geoff speak candidly about the song (and how important it is for him) for some time earlier in the evening, and it’s not shocking the band plays it at every show.

The first surprise of the evening came with “War All The Time”, a song Geoff often cites as too personal/emotional to play live. It’s been some time since I’ve heard the track live, and the band did absolute justice to the song. It tends to drag a little on the album, but live the song is explosive and more emotional than can be explained in text. There’s something defining about Thursday being a true “live band” with the lines “all those nights in the basement, the kids are still screaming: ‘on and on and on and on’” being screamed by everyone in the venue.

“Ladies and Gentleman: My Brother, The Failure”, a song featuring Cursive’s Tim Kasher on the album, comes off unfortunately weak live, though it could easily be one of Thursday’s strongest live tracks with an improved performance of Kasher’s lines live. As it stands, guitarist Steve Pedulla seems to handle the lines, but his delivery isn’t right, and his microphone is way too low. Perhaps letting keyboardist Andrew Everding handle the duties would fit better, though I’m not sure the band even realizes that it’s coming off so weak; someone should tell them.

By this time, Thursday is more than halfway finished for the evening, but it feels like they’ve just begun. Indeed, time flies when the band is on stage; there is never a dull moment.

Before kicking into the sexually charged (and setlist staple) “Signals Over The Air”, Geoff wished everyone a happy new year, and reasserted Thursday’s beliefs that every human being is equal: gay, straight, black, white, male, female, or otherwise; that to party with the band this evening should convey those thoughts. Like many Thursday songs, “Signals” comes off more powerful than could ever be recorded in the studio.

Two numbers from Full Collapse followed; “Autobiography of a Nation” first, one of the most intense tracks of the evening. The energy builds with a long instrumental before the crowd kicks off with “Write these words back down!”, and it immediately feels like 2001 again–and that’s a good thing.

“Cross Out The Eyes” featured Nathan Gray, vocalist of the now-defunct, but quite important post-hardcore outfit, boysetsfire (a band Geoff proudly joked that Thursday ripped off when starting out). Gray didn’t do much to help the song, and in fact routinely butchered the chorus. His talents would have been properly served screaming the song’s final lines, but instead the lines were omitted entirely.

“The Lovesong Writer” was the last song the band played of 2007; interestingly, I had a long conversation with Geoff about the song earlier in the day during happy hour. To get to that point, however, it requires a little back story:

Always puzzled by the first few lines of “I Am The Killer”, I asked Geoff what exactly is being said. He chuckled, but then began to think about it and in fact had no idea. He said that he was working out lyrics in the vocal booth during the recording of Full Collapse, and that he was mumbling them softly, and it was actually caught on tape. The lines were sped up, and eerily inserted into the beginning of the track–the band loved the unplanned result, and it remained during the song’s final mix.

I was forced to comment on my love of “Oh Comely”, the important eighth-track on Neutral Milk Hotel’s In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, and the nearly inaudible “oh shit!” being yelled at the song’s close, and how it seems quite comparable to the first seconds of “I Am The Killer”. Getting Geoff started on Neutral Milk Hotel (and consequently Jeff Mangum) was more insightful than possibly imaginable (or writable here, in fact, at his request).

I learned that “The Lovesong Writer” was Jeff Mangum; with a few more private facts in place, and another listen to the song, it’s undeniable. Geoff’s stream of consciousness in the song is undeniably Mangum-esque, and even its first lines draw reference to “Oh Comely”.

Concluding our discussion on a subject that we could have talked about for hours was Geoff’s recommendation of Zach Condon (as Beirut)’s Gulag Orkestar–he compares Zach to Mangum; I’m actually a few clicks away right now from seeing if I can get it on iTunes.

Cut back to Thursday’s show, and “The Lovesong Writer” hit me in an entirely new way that evening when the band closed the year with it. Taking a brief break (read: encore), they came back moments before midnight to countdown the new year.

As the the clock struck midnight, the unmistakable “Jet Black New Year” riff kicked in, balloons fell, and the Starland crowd exploded. For the first time in years, the song felt fresh, and important. The night–well, the concert portion, anyway–finished with the second part to “Jet Black New Year”: “Tomorrow I’ll Be You”, a song that the band attempted a few years ago during their annual holiday shows.

Once again, unfortunately, the band didn’t do the song justice. Not to lay the blame on drummer Tucker Rule (whom I consider an excellent drummer), but the song’s timing was completely off the entire song, and it was quite unfortunate that one of Thursday’s best live shows ended on that note. The song itself is one of the band’s best songs; if they manage to get it down, however, it could be one of their best live songs. The setlist at a glance:

Dead Songs
Between Rupture and Rapture
The Other Side of the Crash/Over And Out (Of Control)
Understanding in a Car Crash
Sugar in the Sacrament
At This Velocity
Division St.
War All the Time
Ladies and Gentleman: My Brother, The Failure
Signals Over the Air
For the Workforce, Drowning
Autobiography of a Nation
Cross Out the Eyes
The Lovesong Writer
Jet Black New Year
Tomorrow I’ll Be You

After the show, Starland held a 21+ party until 2AM. The DJs spinning left much to be desired, but the party was a nice way to still have the “out at a bar on New Year’s Eve” experience after the show. Watching the lightweight girls (and guys, surprisingly) take drunken spills was funny, and I had a few good conversations with fellow Thursday fans.

The shenanigans began quite informally after 2AM, though. After a short drive from the venue, we arrived with the guys in Thursday to party at their nearby hotel. Drinks, wildness, and discussions about a wide array of topics (Sailor Jerry, Hillary Clinton, Led Zeppelin vs. The Who, Zeitgeist, Idiocracy, world-wide currency, Zodiac signs, Prince, and everything in between) highlighted the hotel party that spanned many rooms and, later, a nearby Wawa.

An excellent concert turned into a fun after-party is certainly my preferred way to ring in the new year. Thanks to Jess Garcia for greatly helping me out earlier in the afternoon, and special thanks to Geoff, Steve, Josh, Joshie, Tucker, and Dave for being especially hospitable and kind that evening. To everyone I met for the first time, it was fun, and I hope you all have a great 2008.