Support was from Texan Emily Wolfe, who came on later and played on two of the Gaslight Anthem’s songs. She can defo play guitar but the music wasn’t for me so I’ll skip her slot and get to the main attraction.
Brian looked way different to the last time I saw them almost exactly 10 years ago. He’s got long unkempt hair, he’s put on some timber (middle aged spread 😊) and he’s wearing a Black Sabbath Vol 4 t-shirt – a nod to greatness. They are across the pond for the UK/EU ‘History Books’ tour and this is the 1st of three nights at the Roundhouse which attests to their enduring popularity. Tonight’s sell-out crowd of die-hard fans is buzzing with excitement, and a huge roar hits the band as they get on stage and launch full on into ‘Positive Charge’ from their latest LP. Swiftly followed by ‘Hand Written’ and ‘Old White Lincoln’ the crowd are stomping, waving, jumping and singing along in unison.
In fairness Brian could just have played rhythm guitar all night as it seemed like the vocal crowd knew all the words to every song they played and sang along continuously – a sight to behold – a truly religious experience of sorts.
New Jersey’s finest are Brian Fallon – Vocals, rhythm guitar; Alex Rosamilia – guitar, Alex Levine – bass; Benny Horowitz – drums with touring members Ian Perkins (rhythm guitar, keyboards) Bryan Haring – keyboards.
The Majority of tonight’s set is from ‘The 59 Sound’ and ‘Handwritten’ with some nice surprises from their early days from ‘Señor and the Queen’ and ‘Sink or Swim’ (check the set list). Basically loads of crowd favourites, let’s face it they have a top back catalogue to choose from, supplemented by 3 songs from the new LP ‘History Books’ and a couple from ‘Get Hurt’. It appears that they change the set list most nights which is great news for fans who may have bought tickets for a couple of shows and also for the band as I guess it gets kind of boring (and would sap your enthusiasm) playing the same songs over and over night after night.
The Gaslight Anthem Set List (click on link to watch the video)
- Positive Charge (History Books, 2023)
- Handwritten (Handwritten 2012)
- Old White Lincoln (The ’59 Sound, 2008)
- Biloxi Parish (Handwritten 2012)
- Red Violins (Get Hurt, 2014)
- High Lonesome (The ’59 Sound, 2008)
- The Patient Ferris Wheel (The ’59 Sound, 2008)
- Mulholland Drive (Handwritten 2012)
- Here’s Lookin’ At You Kid (The ’59 Sound, 2008)
- The Spirit of Jazz (American Slang, 2010)
- 1930 (Sink or Swim 2007)
- Halloween (Get Hurt, 2014)
- I Coul’da Been A Contender (Sink or Swim 2007)
- The Weatherman (History Books, 2023)
- Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts (Señor and the Queen, 2008)
- Howl (Handwritten 2012)
- Mae (Handwritten 2012)
- Michigan, 1975 (History Books, 2023)
- Great Expectations (The ’59 Sound, 2008)
- 45 (Handwritten 2012)
- The ’59 Sound (The ’59 Sound, 2008)
Brian only interacts with the audience a couple of times during the show as one punkier classic rock slab blends into another for more joyous crowd revelry. Comparisons with Bruce are inevitable, Brian certainly owes a debt of gratitude to the Boss but IMHO I prefer The Gaslight Anthems more up tempo beat and lyrics reflecting on times long gone by or just storytelling.
The sound was a bit too hazy for my liking (vocals didn’t stand out) and the lighting a bit hit and miss – too many red/blue hues but just a slight grumble.
The show is interspersed with a few slower tunes – ‘Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts’, ‘Mae’ and ‘Here’s Lookin’ At You Kid’ which turned into a total reverie sing-along! My personal favourites were ‘The Spirit of Jazz’ and the final 3 blistering tunes of ‘Great Expectations’, ‘45’ and ‘The 59 Sound’. Everyone, including the band, had smiles on their faces. A truly euphoric 90 mins of delightful driving rhythms powerfully resonating with the ordained crowd.
Marko [ 27 March 2024]
Marko's Music Blog 