Gaslight Anthem had their first shot at a big time venue Thursday night, September 30th, and they knocked it out of the Music Hall with passion, pace, and a certain musical humility, if there is such a thing in rock n’ roll. When your lead singer introduces the final encore with - "This is the coolest thing we've ever done. I thought I was going to be a gas station attendant.” – you know the band is over the moon about playing Radio City.
I’ve been listening to Gaslight since their album The ’59 Sound came out in 2008. If you don’t own it, in trade speak, you’re “short 59 SOUND" and it is rallying. Start to finish the album takes you on a tour of what the band is all about which is good old fashioned punky rock n' roll. Pair that with their equally well rounded follow up American Slang, and I've got a reason to be talking about these musicians on the cusp of greatness. Slang packs that patriotic 'tude that we need more of and doesn't hesitate to genuflect toward the Big Apple in what may be their most impactful chant life to date The Queen of Lower Chelsea.
Did you grow up a good girl,
Your daddy's pride?
Did you make all the right moves,
Take all the right drugs right on time?
American girls, they want the whole world
They want every last little light in New York City.
Gaslight does nothing fancy. They are a garage band operation on the order of Kings of Leon. They employ the time tested rock formula of singer, guitars, base & drums, they just do it a lot better than most. Their recipe for success is taking a tremendous amount of passion and firing out to crowd via lead singer Brian Fallon. The band can bang chords and they will make you stomp your feet to the beat but Brian, like all great lead singers, puts the band into the next class.
Let's get this out of the way now - the comparisons to Bruce Springsteen, whom I vehemently detest, need to stop and they need to stop immediately. A good band can’t come from New Jersey without Bruce intervening to give them his stamp of approval, a chance they can't refuse to warm up for him, and a cameo on stage at one of their shows. Gaslight guitarist Alex Rosamilia adds a consistent ability to resurrect anthem type riffs from the same old guitar chords and packs more personality into hammering his E string than the entire E Street Band throws off in a concert tour. Fallon has pride in Gaslight Anthem and he didn't miss an opportunity to respectfully comment on the incessant references to the Puss', I mean the Boss - “I think it’s one of those things we’re gonna have to wear until it wears out.” Believe me, he’s none too happy that the music press has him living in Springsteen’s shadow and he doesn’t deserve to any longer. If you need comparison bands for Gaslight Anthem - try Third Eye Blind, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Green Day, or Social Distortion on for size. What separates Brian from Bruce is that Brian can actually sing and he's James Dean cool.
On Thursday night they covered some of their best stuff like Old White Lincoln, Miles Davis and the Cool, and I'da Called You Woody Joe in a one hour set of 17 songs, and then came out and blew everyone away with a 7 song encore that included American Slang, The Patient Ferris Wheel, a trippy version of The Queen of Lower Chelsea, and a powerful Backseat to close it. The crowd was jumping from the get go until the house lights went on, the buzzes were big, and that's how it's supposed to go the first time you play Radio City Music Hall.
They were a sight to behold on their big night in New York, and even though they hail from across the Hudson in the swamps of Jersey, I'm happy for them anyway.
After all, they're an American band.
I've never felt so strange
Standing in the pounding rain
Thinking about what my mother once said
MAYBE I SHOULD CALL ME AN AMBULANCE
Standing in the pounding rain
Thinking about what my mother once said
MAYBE I SHOULD CALL ME AN AMBULANCE
