Seattle SoDo, this Monday night, was subjected to an East Coast invasion. While the Mariners were being pummeled by the Red Sox’s hitting a couple blocks north at Safeco Field, the Showbox SoDo was gearing up for a marathon rock show full of cars, ghosts, America and lost love. The crowd was much smaller than the venue is capable of, understandably because it was Monday. They closed off the upstairs bar/lounge area causing the main floor beer garden to fill to capacity. The rest of the main floor was filled about three quarters to capacity.
In the annals of awkwardly named tours, this one just might take the cake. Christened the “Bringing Up Buster Tour”, this has absolutely nothing to do with a band, a band member, an album, or a song named Buster. But, whatever.
Fake Problems from Naples, Florida took the stage with their upbeat, bouncy tunes of heartbreak and love. Their insanely catchy infectious pop is something not to miss. “Soulless,” off their new album Real Ghosts Caught on Tape, sounds like a breezy pop homage to Jackie Wilson’s “Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher and Higher.” Lead singer/guitarist Chris Farren introduced “Heartless” as “a song about a girlfriend that criticizes you for smoking weed when you’re together, then after you break up she starts smoking weed.” They instantly got the crowd - that was still filtering in - moving to the music and engaged with the stage.
Fake Problems, The Menzingers and The Gaslight Anthem all have basically the same band setup. All three bands have a double guitar attack and a rhythm section consisting of bass and drums. The one deviation from this formula came courtesy of the second band, Philadelphia’s The Menzingers. They featured two lead vocalists with differing singing styles. Vocalist/guitarist Tom May is a punk screamer at times reaching At-the-Drive-In or Blood Brothers intensity and looks a little like Simon Pegg of Shaun of the Dead fame.Vocalist/guitarist Greg Barnett is the more melodic of the two. If you like your vocals loud and intense this may be the band for you. “I Was Born” was a highlight of their set, kind of a Clash/hardcore-punk hybrid. They got the collective blood pumping and geared up for The Gaslight Anthem.
It’s a good thing that the Fake Problems’ and The Menzingers’ sets didn’t get stretched out too long because The Gaslight Anthem needed each and every second of every remaining minute in which to pack their gargantuan set list. At this point in their career their recorded output consists of three studio albums and an EP. Most groups with that limited output couldn’t remotely hope to pull off the 27-song onslaught that the Gaslight Anthem did.
Supporting their new album, American Slang, Gaslight Anthem took the stage in their best “night out at the pub” clothes and launched into the title track. They followed that up with “Boxer,” another highlight from the album. Over the course of their set they played 6 more from American Slang, 9 from The ‘59 Sound, 6 from their debut Sink or Swim and even 3 from their 4-song EP, Senor and the Queen. Only a “no-filler” band like The Gaslight Anthem would be able to pull this off without the crowd losing interest. You could almost feel the energy generated on stage being transferred through the air and absorbed by the crowd.
Songs like “The Diamond Church Street Choir” and “The Queen of Lower Chelsea” displayed their growth as songwriters. Vocalist Brian Fallon was in top form as he led the crowd through “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues,” “Here’s Looking At You, Kid” and possibly the biggest crowd pleaser of the night, “Miles Davis & The Cool.”
I know there’s a possibility of The Gaslight Anthem eventually outgrowing the smaller venues in favor of larger ones but part of me selfishly doesn’t want that to happen. The Gaslight Anthem put on such a good show in a smaller venue. Now is the time to see them, they’re at the top of their game.
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Two songs go in, one comes out. Pick a side.
Also, I have yet to pay this venue a visit, is it good spot? good people, good vibe, good atmosphere?
... man, i hope i win some tickets…
by Jaz Bonnin-Aldatz on Thu May 17, 2012 at 12.27 am from the entry: It's all good, see Fishbone for free at Fête
Looking forward to the show. Would love to win some tix for my pals.
by MC Breath on Wed May 16, 2012 at 07.40 pm from the entry: It's all good, see Fishbone for free at Fête
I’m dying to see him no better place than FETE!!
by Telly on Tue May 15, 2012 at 02.57 pm from the entry: we'll see you (and Talib Kweli) at Fête!
Sound does matter. Viva Le Fete!
by Auquanetta on Tue May 15, 2012 at 01.13 pm from the entry: we'll see you (and Talib Kweli) at Fête!
YES! i MUST go to this show! i was just strollin down the street the other day and saw the poster! SO stoked they’ll be in town.
by Jaz on Mon May 14, 2012 at 05.30 pm from the entry: It's all good, see Fishbone for free at Fête
Fete Forever!!
by Tabitha on Mon May 14, 2012 at 05.08 pm from the entry: we'll see you (and Talib Kweli) at Fête!
Congratulations and thank you to Fete for bringing talent to Providence! We needed this venue and vibe. Bless.
oh and I’d love to win tickets; its my boyfriends bday:D
by Ellen on Mon May 14, 2012 at 07.23 am from the entry: we'll see you (and Talib Kweli) at Fête!
