12 Bands 12 Months: The Gaslight Anthem, March 28, Philadelphia
Everyone was there. The punk kids. The skaters. Suburban moms in sweater sets. Men in sportsjackets. 30-somethings wearing their best “rock and roll” clothes. I saw a guy who had to be pushing 60. I saw a 7 year-old on her mother’s shoulder. Everyone was there.
Because of this we were in the back, way in the back, up against a bar that thankfully wasn’t serving. We could see the stage, could see the band, could see the sea of people between us. We could see bodies tumbling across outstretched arms. We could see heads bobbing in unison, hands raised, fists clenched.
We could see joy. And Goddammit, we could hear it to.
The Gaslight Anthem brings everyone together. I can’t verbalize why, or how. They just do. These four guys from Central Jersey, including singer/guitarist Brian Fallon from right here in Red Bank, do nothing but bring the rock and roll. They brought it to the legendary Trocadero Theatre on Saturday night, fulfilling a dream of Fallon’s — “I’ll never play here, God do I want to play here,” he reminiced to the adoring crowd.
Drawing heavily from their current album The ‘59 Sound, the foursome ran through a tight set that was short on chatter and long on rock. Their live sound, stripped-down rock with punk urgency and pop sensibility, stuck close to the recorded material, so much so that at times I could swear it was playing from my iPod. But that’s far from a negative. Rather, it’s a testament that they’re able to capture the energy of the live set without any undue production “tricks” in the studio. The familiarity of their short canon — two LPs and a couple of EPs — also meant that every song was a singalong, the crowd echoing Fallon’s introspective words of heartbreak and loss, infusing them with defiant joy.
The only downside to the live show, and it’s a minor one, is that while it was packed with enery and gusto, it lacked adventure and surprise. Once they played the opening bars, it was clear which song was up and how it would go, and the band poured themselves into each one. But a side trip now and then, an extended coda, or maybe a mashup with a cover, would have been welcome. I can chalk that up to youth — these guys have great songs, and clearly want to play them.
Overall, though, the operative word of the night was “joy.” From the punk kids to the moms to the prepsters, every single person in the theatre felt the energy and enthusiasm of the band wash over them. The Gaslight Anthem, at the end of the night, sent its faithful out into the Philadelphia night far more alive than when the night started. They’re coming to your town soon. Go see them.
March 31: Agora Ballroom, Cleveland, OH
April 01: St. Andrews Hall, Detroit, MI
April 02: Turner Hall - Headline Show!, Milwaukee, WI
April 03: The Bottom Lounge - Headline Show!, Chicago, IL
April 04: The Varsity Theater - Headline Show!, Minneapolis, MN
April 07: The Warehouse - Headline Show!, Calgary, ALB
April 08: The Starlite Room - Headline Show!, Edmonton, AB
April 10: Commodore Ballroom - Headline Show! - ***NEW VENUE***, Vancouver, BC
April 13: Berbati’s Pan, Portland, OR
April 15: The Boardwalk - Headline Show!, Orangevale, CA
April 16: Slim’s - Headline Show!, San Francisco, CA
April 17: The Underground - ALL AGES, Reno, NV
April 19: COACHELLA MUSIC FESTIVAL, Indio, CA
April 21: The Clubhouse - Headline Show!, Tempe, AZ
April 22: Launchpad, Albuquerque, NM
April 23: Black Sheep, Colorado Springs, CO
April 24: Gothic Theatre - Headline Show!, Englewood, CO
April 25: The Beaumont Club , Kansas City, Missouri
April 28: Granada Theatre, Dallas, TX
April 29: Antone’s Nightclub, Austin, TX
May 02: State Theatre, St. Petersburg, FL
May 03: The Social - 18+, Orlando, Florida
May 06: Cat’s Cradle - Headline Show!, Carrboro, NC
May 07: Recher Theatre - Headline Show!, Baltimore, Maryland
May 08: The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
May 09: The Stone Pony **SECOND SHOW ADDED**, Asbury Park, New Jersey
May 23: Sasquatch Festival, Quincy, Washington
