JESS BECK | Go Venue Magazine
I’ve been a huge fan of The Gaslight Anthem for years now.
YEARS y’all.
Simply put, I’m a huge fan of lyricism. The deeper the song, the more clever the lyrics, the more I’m likely to enjoy it. And that’s not to say that music fans who love the beat aren’t right or anything like that, this is just my preference. Music can be anything to anyone, but for me, it’s about wit, lyricism and meaning.
And also, in my humble opinion, there isn’t a songwriter who beats out Brian Fallon in that category. But I digress. Friday, August 30th, The Gaslight Anthem played to a nearly sold-out crowd at The Fillmore in Minneapolis, MN.
First up was a group called Pinkshift – and I gotta be honest, they really stole the show early on. A lot of bands have chemistry, right? It’s rare to find a band like this that gels so seamlessly together that you can feel that experience. But that’s exactly what they did. The Baltimore outfit really wowed the audience with how ferociously they attacked the stage. They could easily pass off as just another punk band at first glance, but they really do a great job of combining grunge, thrash, and emo into their sound mix that they’re much deeper than what’s on the surface. The only regret is that I couldn’t really hear vocalist Ashrita Kumar very well, but they’ve really got some pipes. Don’t sleep on these, folks – I’d start streaming them immediately if you can!
Next up was Joyce Manor, and Jade and I met quite a few people who were there exclusively for them. We listened to them a bit on the way down, and I’ll be the first to admit they sound incredible live! Vocalist and guitarist Barry Johnson, guitarist Chase Knobbe, and bassist Matt Ebert really excited the audience as they breezed through some fan favorites including, “Falling In Love Again,” “NBTSA,” and “Constant Headache.” I will admit, their lighting was a bit of a challenge, but I think we were able to make it work haha! They were an extremely entertaining group, hailing from California – add ’em to your Spotify rotation!
Then the moment came for The Gaslight Anthem to take the stage to thunderous applause. Gaslight Anthem had a blistering 21 song set list (roughly the same as Joyce Manor) and it was a rollercoaster all the way through.
See…Brian just has a way of telling stories through song, and I bet any one of his songs could make an appearance in Boondock Saints as background music. The one thing I thought was a little strange was that he didn’t take hardly any time between songs to address the audience or give some insights into what the songs were about. Not saying it’s a bad thing or anything like that, so don’t blow this out of proportion. But it was unique to see him just blaze through that setlist and give every song everything that he had.
But the show was great regardless. The flashes of light really set the tone for the atmosphere of the music, which is often beautiful and tragic simultaneously. They played a number of their hits such as “45,” “Handwritten,” and “The 59 Sound,” but also mixed in some from their new album (History Books – also the name of the tour) including “Michigan, 1975,” and “Spider Bites.”
As always, a huge thank you to The Fillmore’s amazing staff! From the bar tenders to the security team, we all had an enjoyable, safe, and fun evening. Keep being good to one another, keep wearing deodorant to your concerts, and we’ll catch ya at the next one!
The Gaslight Anthem
Joyce Manor
Pinkshift
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