The Gaslight Anthem Rocks Boston

The Gaslight Anthem
Murder by Death
Jesse Malin
Broadway Calls
House of Blues Boston
October 17th, 2009

It’s amazing how quickly the Gaslight Anthem, a band that was barely known outside the state of New Jersey until recently, has exploded onto the scene in 2009. After an opening slot at a free WFNX show this summer, the band returned to Boston to headline the House of Blues in an engagement that signaled the arrival of the blue-collar quintet as one of today’s most promising acts.

The night began with a set from Broadway Calls, an up and coming pop-punk act that has seemingly opened for about 100 different bands this fall. While their short set was solid, it wasn’t as nearly as well received as their performance supporting Streetlight Manifesto at the same venue a month earlier.

As the cavernous venue finally began to fill up, Jesse Malin and his supporting band took the stage to perform a set of sunny pop tunes that had the crowd slightly interested. I’ll have to admit it wasn’t exactly my thing, so I didn’t pay too much attention.

Next up was Murder by Death, a band that served as a perfect opener for the Gaslight Anthem with their gruff, no frills style. The band played a 40 minute set of songs that dealt mainly with whiskey, drinking, the desert, and being in jail. It seemed as if the quartet was straight out of a John Wayne movie, and the crowd ate it up.

Fallon Earlier This Summers straight out of a John Wayne movie, and the crowd ate it up.

The Gaslight Anthem would then take the stage as Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” was pumped over the PA system. With a huge smile on his face, lead singer Brian Fallon would strum the first notes to “High Lonesome” as the dance party instantly became a rousing rock show. The band would then tear through “Casanova, Baby!” and “Old White Lincoln” as the crowd surged toward the front of the stage and sang along.

As the set wore on, the New Jersey quintet seemed to pick up steam with every song, and those in attendance responded in kind. Fallon and co. would not only play every song from their breakout album The ‘59 Sound, but they would also play a number of tracks from their debut full length Sink or Swim, as well as from their more recent Senior and the Queen EP. While it was not surprising that they would venture into older material, it was surprising how enthusiastically the crowd responded to it. It’s good to see that radio success hasn’t created an army of fair weather fans.

The ear to ear grin that Fallon had showcased at the start of the set never left his face,  An outsider might have thought he had just won the lottery, and based on the size of the crowd that packed the House of Blues and their enthusiasm, he might as well have. After a show stopping rendition of “Here’s Looking At You, Kid,” the band would charge into “The Backseat,” a set closing number that had crowd serfers flying through the air.

Bassist Alex Levine

After a brief time break, the group would return for an encore that would feature zero songs from their most recent album but would still inspire quite a bit of chaos in the pit. “Blue Jeans and White T-Shirts” was followed by “Drive,” and the show was then closed with a cathartic version of “Say You Won’t (Recognize)” that saw nearly everyone on the floor crashing and bouncing into each other like bumper cars.

With smiles still intact, the band would leave the stage a full hour and a half after they had made their appearance, which is almost unheard of for a band with only two full length records. They had given their fans everything they had wanted and more, which is just one of the reasons why one of rock’s best kept secrets may officially be out.

 

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After a Three Year Wait, AFI Returns to Providence

AFI
Gallows
Lupo’s, Providence RI
October 14th, 2009

Three years. That was the last time AFI had visited the northeast or done any major touring. For die hard fans like myself, it had been far too long. With the release of Crash Love, AFI was finally ready to hit the road and debut their new tracks, new outfits, and new hairdos.

Their second of four New England appearances brought them to Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel in downtown Providence, where they had last appeared along with the Explosion in 2006. That show had seen the quintet at the height of their popularity, supporting both a chart topping record in Decemberunderground and single in “Miss Murder.” Crash Love has not seen the same type of success, which may be why the band performed as if they had something to prove to those in the audience.

Cater getting up close and personal with the crowd

The show featured only one opening band, UK-based hardcore outfit Gallows. What could (and probably should) have been another bland set from a band most weren’t familiar with turned into a thoroughly enjoyable 40 minutes. This was mainly due to the antics of frontman Frank Carter. After playing two songs that featured little crowd participation, Carter climbed down from the stage and into the crowd, mic in hand.

Positioning himself at the back of the small dance floor, Carter proceed to sing the remainder of the set from the complete chaos that surrounded him. While I haven’t been to many hardcore shows, I found this move to be both unbelievable and completely awesome. Gallows is apparently bigger in Providence than I had expected, for there were a host of bandanna-clad fans ready to mix it up and show off their headcore dancing skills.

And of course, there were some not so savvy fans who decided to join in as well. One was a young female who shoved Carter and then challenged him to a fight. The somewhat stunned frontman stopped the music and had the girl repeat the question into the mic, which earned a laugh from the rest of the crowd. Carter then shook his head and jokingly encouraged the girl to pick a fight with any of the other boys in the crowd, for they would be happy to oblige.

After closing the set back on stage with “Orchestra of Wolves,” Gallows would make their exit, along with at least a handful of their fans. After the standard 30 minute wait, AFI took the stage, one member at a time, dressed in their trademark black, except for lead singer Davey Havok. The charismatic frontman instead was decked out in a sparkling polyester suit. I don’t think anyone was surprised.

They would being the set with “Torch Song,” the first song from Crash Love. While it is a solid track, I don’t think it works well as an opener, and most in the crowd didn’t seem to think so either. Things would pick up quickly though as the band ripped though “Girls Not Grey” and “Leaving Song Pt. II,” both of which woke the crowd up in a big way.

Next the band would debut another Crash Love track, this being “Too Shy To Scream.” Unlike “Torch Song,” this did inspire quite the sing along, as did the moody “Ever and a Day,” the only Art of Drowning-era song to make the set list.

Throughout the set Havok danced around the stage as if he were the lead actor in a dramatic play, while guitarist Jade Pudget and bassist Hunter Burgan barely avoided crashing into each other as they raced back and forth. After playing “Kill Caustic” and “End Transmission,” Havok stopped to ask if anyone in the crowd was 18 years old. After a few in the crowd cheered, Havok proclaimed “so is this song” before launching into “Self-Pity,” which appeared on 1995’s Answer That and Stay Fashionable.

Following “Beautiful Thieves” was “Dancing Through Sunday,” which featured a blistering solo from Puget that was one of the highlights of the set. It’s remarkable how good this band sounds live, especially compared to some of their counterparts.  The show would then slow down considerably with “The Leaving Song” and “On the Arrow.” Both were a very nice addition to an otherwise fast paced set.

The band would close with the trio of “Death of Seasons,” “Medicate,” and “Love Like Winter.” Despite being Crash Love’s first single and most familiar track, it inspired only a half-hearted sing along. “Love Like Winter,” on the other hand, not only sounded CD-quality but also inspired another huge response from the crowd.

As the band walked off stage and the house lights stayed down, I took a look at my watch to see that the band had spent less than fifty minutes on stage. I was hoping for a long encore, but knowing the band rarely played long sets, certainly wasn’t expecting one. After returning to the stage, the band would play an upbeat cover of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” before transitioning to two of their biggest hits, “Miss Murder” and “Silver and Cold.”

While “Miss Murder” may not be the band’s most original work, it certainly brings the house down in a live setting, and it didn’t disappoint tonight. Closing the show with “Silver and Cold” was an interesting choice and it worked well, as Havok raised the mic stand high in the air and let the crowd do the singing during one part of the song.

As “Silver and Cold” concluded, the band took their bows, and slowly left the stage. The set had only lasted an hour, and it absolutely flew by. It’s almost understandable that AFI would play a shorter set, for even a world class athlete would be exhausted after sprinting around stage the way they do. Havok’s vocal theatrics also must be commended. The frontman deftly moved from vocal cord-shredding screams on “Kill Castic” and “Death of Seasons” to huge melodic choruses on “Girls Not Grey” and “Beautiful Thieves.” Overall, the show was another memorable AFI performance, and while the absence of older material was disappointing, the new Crash Love tracks packed the type of punch that could rock stadiums. Maybe some day.

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Billy Talent at the Paradise

Billy Talent
Poison the Well
The Paradise Rock Club, Boston
October 9th 2009

The Paradise Rock Club in Boston isn’t the city’s flashiest venue, and Billy Talent certainly isn’t one of the city’s best known bands, but when the two came together on a rainy October night, the results were anything but shabby. The Canadian quartet, along with South Florida’s Poison the Well, put on the type of show that delighted and damaged the hearing of those who packed the grungy club.

The show began with a set from AM Taxi, which I unfortunately did not witness (there was a Qdoba next door…). When we did make our way into the venue, we didn’t have to wait long for Poison the Well to take the stage. While I may not be a huge fan of the entire metalcore genre, witnessing them play was an enlightening experience. The band simply killed it. They performed a set that was that was insanely fast, ridiculously technical, and epically loud.

While many in the crowd (including myself) were unfamiliar with the veteran quartet, lead singer Jefferey Moriera displayed the type of stage presence that kept the audience completely absorbed throughout their 40 minutes on stage. Moriera mixed gruff screams and howls along with melodic choruses, while the rest of the band deftly sprinkled atmospheric elements in with their hardcore shredding. It served as the perfect warm up for Billy Talent’s headlining set.

Lead singer Ben Kowalewicz led the chart topping Canadian act on stage and they immediately burst into a rousing rendition of “Devil in a Midnight Mass.” Despite the over zealous security and “no moshing” rules at the Paradise, it was obvious from the start this show would be anything but tame.

The crowd surged towards the stage and shouted along throughout the set, and the band used this energy to their advantage. Kowalewicz spent most of the show at the foot of the stage, going face to face with those in the first few rows. With eyes wide and veins bulging, the dynamic front man alternated between melodic singing on tracks such as “Surrender” and frenzied screams on crowd favorites such as “Line and Sinker.” 

Between songs, Kowalewicz ran through the normal Billy Talent banter, most of it revolving around sports. He praised Boston for its successful teams, and declared his hatred for the Yankees.  Kowalewicz also made note of the large student population surrounding the club, joking that a group of  well dressed college girls had thrown change at him earlier in the day thinking he was a bum.

The musical portion of the set included an even mix of tracks from the band’s three full lengths. Songs from the recently released Billy Talent III sounded great and received a nice reaction from the crowd, but they couldn’t match the intensity of more familiar songs such as “The Ex” or “Try Honesty,” which closed the set.

The band would return for an encore consisting of “Fallen Leaves” and “Red Flag,” both from 2006’s Billy Talent II. The crowd filed out of the club more than satisfied with what they had witnessed, and looking forward to a promised return engagement in 2010. The group certainly seemed to enjoy their stop at the intimate venue, especially considering many of their shows in Canada take place in monstrous arenas that set fans far back from the stage. In fact, the band had announced an enormous 2010 Canadian arena tour with support from Alexisonfire and Against Me! earlier in the day.

While they might not be playing arenas in the states any time soon, Billy Talent is quietly building a dedicated fan base on the strength of their stellar live shows. High profile opening slots for bands such as Thursday, Rise Against, and Rancid have helped, but the quartet has proven that they can hold their own as headliners in any setting.

Set list (probably not exact)
Devil in a Midnight Mass
This Suffering
Line and Sinker
Rusted for the Rain
Saint Veronika
Surrender
Diamond on a Landmine
River Below
The Dead Can’t Testify
The Ex
Devil on my Shoulder
Turn Your Back
Try Honesty

Fallen Leaves
Red Flag