The Gaslight Anthem « inTuneMusic

The Gaslight Anthem @ Asbury Park 8/5/2010

August 5, 2010

The Gaslight Anthem played outdoors at the Stone Pony Summer Stage on a beautiful evening at the Jersey Shore. While more than five million viewers opted instead to sit at home and catch MTV’s Jersey Shore, three thousand lucky attendees instead chose life and witnessed integrity in the form of a hardworking rock band from New Jersey rewarding their longtime fans with a near two-hour performance that incorporated songs from all four of the band’s releases.

The Gaslight Anthem

Walking out to Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” (and wearing a blue Derek Jeter shirt), frontman Brian Fallon quickly remarked to the crowd that they should all scream “Jersey” over “York” during the song’s Alicia Keys-sung chorus. Indeed, this show was about New Jersey: it marked the band’s first performance in their home state since releasing American Slang, one of the best albums of 2010 thus far. The Gaslight Anthem kicked things off with a few cuts from that album, including the remarkably catchy title track and “Boxer”, both songs making their way through the airwaves on any rock-format radio stations that haven’t yet closed their doors.

“Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts” was a special cut this evening, with Fallon commenting that even as the band gets to tour all over the world, they still take a piece of their Jersey home with them in the form of this song. Fans hung onto Fallon’s every word, and before jumping into the song he remarked that “at 33 RPM, life ain’t so bad.” Acknowledging the nearby Cookman Avenue, only recently renovated into a desirable living area, Fallon changed up the song’s final lyrics: “Someday I’ll buy you that house on Cookman — if they don’t keep raising the rents so high”.

The Gaslight Anthem

Sink or Swim‘s “Angry Johnny and the Radio” received unique treatment, as well, with an extended introduction and Fallon injecting bits and pieces of Brand New’s “Jesus” into the song’s bridge. The band only just released American Slang, so the biggest treats of the evening were the nine cuts (only “We Did it When We Were Young” was absent) from that album. “The Spirit of Jazz” and “Old Haunts” sounded right at home next to old favorites like “The ’59 Sound” and “We Came to Dance”, a funny point to consider when The Gaslight Anthem are barely five years old. Some cuts prior to American Slang were introduced as “old songs”, but the tracks were only released as far back as summer 2007. The songs aren’t old at all — they’re just tired from the band’s relentless touring in the tricounty area.

Some of those songs included “Red in the Morning”, a song Fallon describes as vocally influenced by the California punk quintet The Bronx. The Gaslight Anthem successfully perform so much new and “old” material in one evening by playing extended sets: few acts perform twenty-six song setlists. Even fewer bands barely five years old perform more than twenty in a night. The Gaslight Anthem’s dedication to their live show helps lift them well above their peers; this was no clearer than on the stellar performance of “Great Expectations” that closed the first part of their set.

The Gaslight Anthem

Against Asbury Park’s noise ordinances, the band returned for a five-song encore. Originally planning to cut some of the songs to obey curfew, Fallon announced that the band had been given special permission by the venue to continue on as planned. “Here’s Lookin’ at You, Kid” was a fine way to to wind down the evening, leading right into “The Backseat” wrapping things up in the same manner as it does on The ’59 Sound.

American Slang
Boxer
The Diamond Church Street Choir
Old White Lincoln
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
Señor and the Queen
Bring it On
Miles Davis and the Cool
The ’59 Sound
The Spirit of Jazz
Angry Johnny and the Radio
Film Noir
Old Haunts
Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts
We Came to Dance
Red in the Morning
Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?
The Queen of Lower Chelsea
Stay Lucky
Boomboxes and Dictionaries
Great Expectations
Orphans
We’re Getting A Divorce, You Keep the Diner
Wooderson
Here’s Lookin’ at You, Kid
The Backseat

The Gaslight Anthem

It’s hard to ask for more in a setlist — the band has written just under forty songs to date and performed twenty-six of them in one night. Crisp guitars and rock-solid rhythms provided the backdrop for Fallon’s luscious storytelling, told through a bold, gritty alto; the quartet connects with the crowd in and out of each song. The band’s connection with the crowd isn’t superficial. The Gaslight Anthem don’t write stories about adolescent life in New Jersey, they recount them with a brazen wisdom that demands a closer listen.

Leave a Comment » | Asbury Park, New Jersey, Stone Pony, The Gaslight Anthem | Permalink
Posted by Anthony Charles Ambrose

The Gaslight Anthem / Rival Schools / Tim Barry @ NYC 6/15/2010

June 15, 2010

“We’re going to kick things off in New York City”, announced a paraphrased Brian Fallon to the Irving Plaza audience. “And we’re going to wrap things up in Jersey.”

The tri-state crowd, packed to capacity and sweating on a hot New York evening, responded with roaring applause. Of course, kicking things off meant the The Gaslight Anthem’s first show supporting the brand new American Slang. In choosing the 1000-person capacity Irving Plaza as the spot to unveil their latest effort on SideOneDummy Records , The Gaslight Anthem ensured an intimate celebration for the local scene that nurtured the band since their inception. The night served as a celebration of two worlds, with the quartet playing their new album in its entirety (minus closer “We Did it When We Were Young”) and also tossing in a healthy portion of material across their previous three discs.

Before The Gaslight Anthem, though, former Avail frontman Tim Barry opened the show, playing a thirty-minute folk-punk acoustic set. The Virginia-born singer-songwriter spent a portion of his set focusing on issues local to his hometown, Richmond, but still connected to the New York audience with worldwide themes of equality and justice. “Prosser’s Gabriel”, from his latest effort on Suburban Home Records, was a particularly intelligent look at the 1800 Virginia slave rebellion, questioning why history books seem to exclude mention of the state-issued murder of nearly thirty slaves. “Avoiding Catonic Surrender”, from Barry’s 2006 debut, Rivanna Junction, name-checked The Gaslight Anthem’s hometown and caught the crowd’s attention; with interest piqued, Barry thanked the crowd for showing up early to listen and closed with “Dog Bumped”, a true story about a friend locked in jail for murdering a man who had abused his sister.

Rival Schools performed next, playing a style in stark contrast to the previous half-hour of acoustic folk-punk. Best described as late 1990s hard/alternative rock, the four-piece failed to impress during their forty minutes on stage. The quartet sounded tight and precise, but their sound seemed tired. Their lone album, United by Fate, wasn’t particularly fresh when it was released in 2001 on Island Records, and the songs hardly hold up a decade later. Cuts like “The Switch” show that the band has vision, but most of the band’s best moments are quickly lost in humming guitars and droning rhythms. Frontman Walter Schreifels, a member of three of the most influential punk/hardcore bands over the last three decades (Youth of Today, Gorilla Biscuits, Quicksand), has much more potential than is executed with the recently reunited Rival Schools.

The Gaslight Anthem

Following a very quick set change, American Slang‘s title track kicked things off for The Gaslight Anthem, with a surprising number of fans singing in unison with frontman Brian Fallon’s opening words: “Look what you started.” Generally, the crowd is not supposed to sing along to your record release show. American Slang, however, leaked months before its store date and much of the audience came prepared. Still, the whole crowd wasn’t into it — The Gaslight Anthem’s live show thrives on singalongs, and a good number of fans felt left out during the show’s first few minutes. The New Jersey natives, with enough foresight and touring experience, rectified things with “Old White Lincoln” immediately following “American Slang”.

The Gaslight Anthem

The speedy “Stay Lucky” brought things back to new territory, but the crowd was dosed with enough adrenaline following an excellent performance of the previous The ’59 Sound favorite to keep things energetic and lively. “Bring it On” went next, followed by “The ’59 Sound”: not a body was still nor a voice silent — everyone in the building sang and danced along to the band’s breakout hit. The alternating punches of two of their most popular songs tossed into an otherwise straight play-through of their new album worked magnificently, displaying the quartet’s peerless vision of creating an exciting rock-and-roll concert experience.

The Gaslight Anthem

Of course, the fact that American Slang is absolutely awesome doesn’t hurt, either. “Spirit of Jazz” proved that The Gaslight Anthem can still craft a punk-driven powerhouse romp amidst an album full of more spacious, slower tempo cuts, and, for the first time performing the song, “Orphans” sounded as solid as anything else in their catalog. “Boxer”, minus Fallon’s staccato studio intro, was as good as if not better than its album counterpart. “Old Haunts” both reminisced in and dismissed the nostalgia of Sink or Swim‘s “The Navesink Banks”, seeming to indicate the band’s desire to move forward while still holding onto and balancing their past efforts.

The Gaslight Anthem

Dedicated to their friends and punk pioneers, The Bouncing Souls, The Gaslight Anthem embraced their past with “We Came to Dance”, and the crowd responded appropriately with waves of energy for the first Sink or Swim song of the night. “Blue Jeans and White T-Shirts” rounded out The Gaslight Anthem’s first set, and fans chanted for just a few moments before the quartet started their massive eight-song encore. The penultimate “Here’s Looking at You, Kid” — particularly the not-so-subtle reference to New York’s 7th Avenue — was met with erupting applause before the band wrapped up with an enormous performance of The ’59 Sound closer “The Backseat”.

American Slang
Old White Lincoln
Stay Lucky
Bring it On
The ’59 Sound
The Diamond Church Street Choir
The Queen of Lower Chelsea
Orphans
Boxer
Old Haunts
Spirit of Jazz
We Came to Dance
Great Expectations
Blue Jeans and White T-Shirts
The Navesink Banks
Drive
Wooderson
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
Miles Davis and the Cool
Senor and the Queen
Here’s Looking at You Kid
The Backseat

The Gaslight Anthem sounded remarkable the entire evening, somehow managing to come off even tighter than their last already-excellent trip to the city. Fallon was playful, at one point kicking a balloon “in honor of the World Cup”, and the entire band seemed genuinely excited to be on stage in New York City for the first time in 2010. Set selection was top-notch; mixing up a straight run through American Slang with their biggest singles tossed in kept both die-hard and casual fans alike entertained throughout the entire evening.

The Gaslight Anthem wraps up the American Slang tour in their home state in August but return to Manhattan on September 30 to perform at the massive Radio City in what will be their largest headlining gig to date. Keep your eyes open for The Gaslight Anthem in 2010, and be sure to pick up the stellar American Slang. The many comparison’s to Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty aren’t just sonic; The Gaslight Anthem might one day be a household name.

All photos by the incredible Lorraine Schwartz.

Leave a Comment » | New York, New York City, Rival Schools, The Fillmore New York, The Gaslight Anthem, Tim Barry | Permalink
Posted by Anthony Charles Ambrose

The Gaslight Anthem / Vision @ Montclair 12/11

December 11, 2009

As a special end-of-year hometown (well, home state) show, The Gaslight Anthem grabbed their friends in Vision, Communication Redlight, and The Hold Outs and booked Montclair’s recently renovated Wellmont Theatre. Located a block from the legendary punk club Bloomfield Ave. Cafe, the Theatre packed the house for The Gaslight Anthem on a frigid Friday night.

Arriving late, I caught part of direct-support act Vision. The hardcore-punk five-piece sounded great, engaging much of the older crowd who likely grew up listening to the band in the early 1990s. Veteran frontman Dave Franklin–who has been in and out of various punk bands in the last decade including a stint with New York hardcore pioneers Killing Time–is clearly aging, but his voice remains solid. The band’s lengthy set concluded with Watching the World Burn‘s fairly recent “Close Minded” and 1989′s “Falling Apart” from In the Blink of an Eye.

With a huge chorus and Alex Levine’s throbbing bass line, “Old White Lincoln” kicked off The Gaslight Anthem‘s set. The crowd found themselves along to The ’59 Sound‘s hit single: “You and your high top sneakers and your sailor tattoos / Your old ’55 that you drove through the roof / Of the sky, up above these indifferent stars / Where you just kept coming apart, straight in my arms”.

The Gaslight Anthem's Alex Levine

“Wooderson”, the first of six songs from the band’s 2007 debut, Sink or Swim, followed and offered a peak into the band’s more punk-influenced catalog. Following an excellent performance of “Wherefore Art Though, Elvis?”, “High Lonesome” was revealed to be about some sort of illegal situation (who could have guessed — “the powder on the bar was just this one night, only to get by”).

“We Came to Dance” was not only one of the band’s best songs of the evening but also a fine tribute to fellow Jersey-punks Lifetime (hey, wasn’t that vocalist Ari Katz in the pit for Vision just a half hour earlier?) with the lyrics “we learned from the very best dancers around” paying homage to the band’s seminal Jersey’s Best Dancers.

Following Alex Rosamilia’s eerie opening riff, the crowd exploded on “Great Expectations”, only to be tamed by the mild “Miles Davis and The Cool”. The Asbury Park-inspired “Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts” received an extra warm applause from the local crowd, and “Meet Me by the River’s Edge” was a welcome surprise to the setlist. Frontman Brian Fallon explained “Here’s Looking at You, Kid” as about the girls you meet but don’t ever end up with.

The Gaslight Anthem wrapped up the first part of their setlist with the title-track and “the first song [they] wrote for The ’59 Sound“. The band’s encore kicked off with “Casanova, Baby!” and continued along with Benny Horowitz’s pounding drums on long-time fan-favorite “1930″.

The Gaslight Anthem's Benny Horowitz

Earlier in the set, Fallon contended that with the invention of high-quality cell phone recording and “that Apple company”, he would not play new songs live for fear of having them leaked early. That went out the window sometime after 11PM, though, when The Gaslight Anthem debuted “Bring it On” for the first time live. Sonically resembling Sink or Swim, the song also appeared to draw influence from Bruce Springsteen (notably, “The Rising”) and possibly Elvis Presley–at least those are my first impressions.

“Say I Won’t (Recognize)” may be one of the band’s best live songs, and when mixed with Fallon singing a few verses from “House of the Rising Sun” and Vision’s Franklin on backing vocals, it’s even better. The penultimate “We’re Getting A Divorce, You Keep The Diner” resulted in the biggest pit of the evening; “The Backseat” was a rousing closing sing-a-long. The full set:

Old White Lincoln
Wooderson
Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
High Lonesome
We Came to Dance
Film Noir
I’da Called You Woody, Joe
Great Expectations
Miles Davis and The Cool
Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts
Meet Me by the River’s Edge
Here’s Looking At You, Kid
The ’59 Sound
Casanova, Baby!
1930
Bring It On
The Navesink Banks
Refugee (Tom Petty cover)
Say I Won’t (Recognize)
We’re Getting A Divorce, You Keep The Diner
The Backseat

The Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon

Across twenty-two songs, The Gaslight Anthem never missed a beat. Fallon sounded remarkable, and when he wasn’t singing he was lauding Rosamilia’s lead guitar which also happened to be near-perfect (though he did briefly slip out of key during “Here’s Looking At You, Kid”). At the band’s request, I’m holding off on putting up a recording of “Bring it On”, but the song sounded amazing and shows incredible promise for the band’s next album. Though The Gaslight Anthem is likely going to be holed up for some time recording that new album (due in 2010), Fallon will be doing some solo dates over the coming months–don’t miss the chance to catch these songs (and a great set of covers) performed acoustic.

Note: These photos were obtained using Google search without any source or credit. If these are your photos, please contact us immediately and we will provide appropriate credit!

inTuneMusic is very interested in any submissions/corrections from this event including photographs, setlists, and audio/video. Please contact us, you will receive complete credit for any submission.

2 Comments | Montclair, New Jersey, The Gaslight Anthem, Vision, Wellmont Theatre | Permalink
Posted by Anthony Charles Ambrose

The Gaslight Anthem / Murder by Death / Jesse Malin @ NYC 10/15

October 15, 2009

With a handful of excellent opening bands, The Gaslight Anthem’s final tour on The ’59 Sound tour arrived in New York City on a cool Thursday night. Poised to release their third full-length next year, the New Jersey four-piece set their sights on Terminal 5 to give a proper sendoff to their 2008 smash LP.

Broadway Calls opened the evening, but the first act I caught was Jesse Malin. A forty-year old rock veteran, Malin began writing songs and founded hardcore band Heart Attack in the early 1980s. Since disbanding, though, Malin has worked on his solo career. With a full band behind him this evening, Malin played fairly long set, drawing largely from 2007′s Glitter in the Gutter.

Murder by Death began their set with In Bocca Al Lupo‘s “Sometimes the Line Walks You”. The next three songs came from their latest effort, Red of Tooth and Claw–the album actually made up half of the band’s set. A nice cover of “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” broke the set into two parts, with a solid performance of “Until Morale Improves, the Beatings Will Continue” from Who Will Survive and What’s Left of Them beginning to wrap things up. The final song of the evening was the instrumental “Those Who Stayed” from the band’s first album, Like the Exorcist, But More Breakdancing.

Sometimes the Line Walks You
’52 Ford
Ball & Chain
Rumbrave
A Masters In Reverse Psychology
Fuego!
Steal Away
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) (Sonny Bono cover)
Brother
Comin’ Home
Until Morale Improves, the Beatings Will Continue
One More Notch
Those Who Stayed

The Gaslight Anthem frontman Brian Fallon

Tributary “High Lonesome” began things for The Gaslight Anthem who raced through most of The ’59 Sound (sans “Meet By the River’s Edge”). “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues” was particularly strong, and “We Came to Dance” is always quite well-received. A brief bit of “Stand By Me” was inserted into”I’da Called You Woody, Joe”, and 2007′s “Angry Johnny and the Radio” had the entire crowd singing, “we always loved the sad sad songs!”

inTuneMusic has reviewed The Gaslight Anthem many times over the last year, so please check out our other reviews for detailed comments about particular songs. The hour-and-a-half setlist:

High Lonesome
Casanova, Baby!
Old White Lincoln
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
The ’59 Sound
We Came to Dance
Film Noir
Miles Davis and the Cool
The Patient Ferris Wheel
I’da Called You Woody, Joe
Angry Johnny and the Radio
Great Expectations
Here’s Looking At You, Kid
The Backseat
Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts
Drive
The Navesink Banks
We’re Getting A Divorce, You Keep The Diner

“Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts” began the four song encore, with three songs from Sink or Swim closing out the night. That album’s final track, “We’re Getting A Divorce, You Keep The Diner”, was a great way to end the show. Fallon’s vocals were top-notch through the evening, and the rest of the band sounded excellent as well. The Gaslight Anthem return to the area with a December 11 performance in Montclair, New Jersey.

1 Comment | Jesse Malin, Murder by Death, New York, New York City, Terminal 5, The Gaslight Anthem | Permalink
Posted by Anthony Charles Ambrose

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.

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.

1 Comment | Asbury Park, Good Old War, New Jersey, Pela, Stone Pony, The Gaslight Anthem | Permalink
Posted by Anthony Charles Ambrose

inTuneMusic

The Gaslight Anthem @ Asbury Park 8/5/2010

The Gaslight Anthem / Rival Schools / Tim Barry @ NYC 6/15/2010

The Gaslight Anthem / Vision @ Montclair 12/11

The Gaslight Anthem / Murder by Death / Jesse Malin @ NYC 10/15

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

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