If Springsteen and the E Street Band were punk, they would be Brian Fallon and The Gaslight Anthem. With their signature brand of Boss-infused New Jersey pop-punk, The Gaslight Anthem blew the roof off the Showbox at the Market September 23rd.
Guitarist Alex Rosamilia, bassist Alex Levine, drummer Benny Horowitz, and vocalist/guitarist Brian Fallon pulled off an entertaining and interactive show. They effortlessly got the crowd moshing, dancing, and singing along for the duration of their set. Touring in support of The ‘59 Sound, they touched on most everything from that album as well as playing a couple cuts from their debut Sink or Swim.
They kept the show going smoothly with minimal downtime by segueing the end of one song into the beginning of another. “’59 Sound,” their radio hit, was delivered with reckless abandon and boundless energy. The floor directly in front of the stage turned into a sea of moshing bodies moving as one. The audience members back in the bars were trying to master the difficulty of bobbing, weaving, and drinking alcohol all at the same time.
Another gimmick that worked well were the false stops by the band. They would act like they were ending the song, the audience would start cheering, then they’d kick right back into the chorus to close it out.
They kept up the energy throughout, leaving the audience thoroughly satisfied. Gaslight was at their best when they indulged in their Springsteen fetish. Nowhere was this more evident than on “Meet Me at the River’s Edge.” The lyrics to many Gaslight songs mirror that of Springsteen’s. Fallon consistently sings about cars, girls, and the working class. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. “Old White Lincoln,” “I Coulda Been A Contender,” and “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues,” also displayed the Springsteen influence front and center.
Other highlights included the high-octane punk energy of “Great Expectations,” the gradual build up of “Miles Davis and the Cool,” and the slight fifties vibe of “Here’s Looking at You, Kid.”
Interacting with the Seattle crowd, Fallon declared Backspacer, the new Pearl Jam album, the album of the year. Surprisingly, he didn’t mention anything about the date being Bruce Springsteen’s 60th birthday.
Every time The Gaslight Anthem comes around they have amassed a much larger following than before. This isn’t unexpected: their sound is unique and their songs are catchy and have wide appeal. They’re a great band to see live. Catch them in a smaller club while you still can, because pretty soon they’ll regularly be playing larger theaters at the very least.
DOWNLOAD: Gaslight Anthem - Meet Me By The Rivers Edge (MP3) or Follow us for more Gaslight Anthem MP3s (Twitter)
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Portugal. The Man + Jared Mees & The Grown Children - 12/19
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Was at the gorge.. and the first night was the most incredible night of my life.. I have never in my life felt so consumed and overwhelmed. This was my first live Phish show.. just went to Festival 8.. and I will never forget the special times at the Gorge or Festival 8. Amazing pictures! Well done.
by Ki on Fri Dec 11, 2009 at 05.52 pm from the entry: Phish - The Gorge Amphitheatre (George, WA; Aug. 7th, 2009)
Might be mislabeled by the taper. Is there a longer intro on Sugarcube? If so, that’s the intro.
And The Story of Yo La Tengo was pretty damn good wasn’t it?
by colin on Fri Dec 11, 2009 at 05.28 pm from the entry: Download a Yo La Tengo show: live in Portland (soundboard/audience matrix)
Yeah, I didn’t want to miss the last MAX since I don’t know Portland that well. At any rate, I left after seeing Story of Yo La Tango, so I couldn’t have been any happier.
In my excitement downloading this I didn’t even realize it was a matrix… unbelievably good quality! Maybe it’s just me, but I should point out that I’m missing track 19. I see it’s just an intro but it might be missing in the zip folder you posted.
by Caleb on Fri Dec 11, 2009 at 05.09 pm from the entry: Download a Yo La Tengo show: live in Portland (soundboard/audience matrix)
neat photos, but how can you not be familiar with moby? what old tracks did he play, does he vary much from the albums? more info please....
by sarah on Fri Dec 11, 2009 at 04.01 pm from the entry: Moby - Crystal Ballroom (Portland, OR; Oct. 19, 2009)
Glad you got a chance to hear how it ended. I HATE it when I have to leave early. It drives me crazy.
by colin on Fri Dec 11, 2009 at 12.36 pm from the entry: Download a Yo La Tengo show: live in Portland (soundboard/audience matrix)
Red Cortez sounds pretty good, from listening to their MySpace afterward - driving rock with hints of blues and soul.Perhaps they need time to tweek their live sound, as a handful of dedicated fans who clearly knew the music stood up front,singing along and flashing their cameras.
by Home theater discount on Fri Dec 11, 2009 at 07.48 am from the entry: Red Cortez - Radio Room (SXSW 2009; Mar. 18, 2009)
Thank you for distributing this (and thank you for taping, whoever that was!)!
I was on a trip to Oregon from Canada when I attended this show. Unfortunately I had to leave before the encore and I’ve been dying to see what I missed. Now I can relive the amazing moments and finally hear the encore!
Cheers
by Caleb on Fri Dec 11, 2009 at 06.44 am from the entry: Download a Yo La Tengo show: live in Portland (soundboard/audience matrix)
That “59 Sound” song is so damn catchy.