There are a select few bands in my life that are as special to me as The Gaslight Anthem. I was first introduced to them through my Mom constantly playing this Neil Young tribute album, composed of songs influenced by his signature style. Their swan song, “The ‘59 Sound,” was included in the track listing, and although I’m still perplexed to this day as to who thought “The ‘59 Sound” sounded anything like Neil Young, I will forever be in their debt. I only listened to them lightly here and there until college when I finally went all in. However, by the time I sufficiently dove into their discography to the point of madness and obsession, they were already on “indefinite hiatus”, two words that spelled out their permanent dissolution for many fans. I was at peace with the fact that I would never get to hear new music from them and that I’d maybe catch them on anniversary tours once every 10 years or so if I was lucky.
It’s hard to talk about the pandemic in any sort of positive light due to all the death, chaos, and turmoil it caused globally but without it, I’m not sure we ever would have seen a reunion of The Gaslight Anthem become reality. Two years ago they came back on the scene with announcements of domestic and international tours and even hinted at a possible sixth studio album. We didn’t have long to wait until that new album was at our doorsteps as the glorious, righteous, and anthemic History Books was released a little more than a year after their comeback announcement in October of 2023. I struggle to come up with examples of other comeback albums that reach the same heights as History Books; I know they’re out there but I frankly don’t care to list them for fear that it may take away from the utter lifetime achievement that is their sixth studio album. Since their comeback, I’ve seen them five times and each time has been better than the last, and last Thursday night at The Salt Shed was certainly no exception.
Pinkshift, a Baltimore-based pop punk band, started the evening off with a bang reminiscent of My Chemical Romance meets Destroy Boys. Having listened to a large portion of their releases prior to the show last Thursday, I can confidently say I like them much more live than on record. I certainly did not give the band their just due as I panicked realizing last minute that Joyce Manor wasn’t the only opener so really only a few of their songs jumped out at me while listening but the band really came alive on stage even with the very small percentage of concertgoers that showed up before Joyce Manor. Lead singer Ashrita Kumar showed off some incredibly soaring vocals throughout their opening set which may have only been superseded in sheer power by drummer Myron Houngbedji’s crushing percussive attacks. That is not to say the remainder of the band did not bring it just as hard but when I go to shows, I’m mostly checking out the vocals and drumming; unfortunately, it is my cross to bear. Pinkshift knows the formula for fun emo-laden pop punk and they know it well. The energy they all brought was as infectious as it gets but I can’t lie, a lot of the transitional dialogue in between songs felt a bit unnecessary even though I could tell it was all in a good-natured attempt to foster a sense of belonging and togetherness with the audience through their music. However, when the same words and sentiments are spoken between most songs, it can get a tad repetitive and tiresome. Still looking forward to that new album within the next year! It’s gonna blow their debut out of the water, I know it. For anyone looking for an intro into the band, I suggest "i'm not crying you're crying" from their 2022 debut album Love Me Forever.
I’ve been yearning to see Joyce Manor for quite some time. Due to being back home for the holidays, I missed their New Year’s Eve performance at Thalia Hall last year which I can only imagine how absolutely chaotic and joyous that must have been judging for the setlist. Celebrating the tenth anniversary of their landmark 2014 release Never Hungover Again, one of the great power pop albums of all time, their setlist Thursday night was a merry trip down memory lane playing a good 80% of that album. Being more of a fan of their 2011 self-titled debut, I was not disappointed one bit as they stormed through deeper cuts like “Derailed”, “21st Dead Rats”, and the gloriously fun “Ashtray Petting Zoo”. The fun did not stop there as they took plenty from their newest album, 40 oz. to Fresno released in 2022 as well. Surprisingly, 40 oz. to Fresno was the first Joyce Manor album I heard, and songs like “You’re Not Famous Anymore” and “Did You Ever Know?” singlehandedly got me into the band. It was a joy to finally see the band on stage and hearing long-standing favorites like “Falling in Love Again”, “Constant Headache”, and “Heart Tattoo” (the latter being the song they opened the whole damn show with) gave me almost as much joy as hearing the ultra-deep cuts like “House Warning Party” and “Five Beer Plan” live. Packing in a whopping 20 songs in an opening set is no easy feat but Joyce Manor came prepared and I can not wait to see them when they’re back on a headlining tour for their next album. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait too much longer for those 17 minutes of heaven.
Having seen The Gaslight Anthem four times prior to last Thursday night at the Salt Shed, it was nice to finally see my favorite band play to the younger demographic that came out to see Pinkshift and Joyce Manor. All of the prior Gaslight shows I’ve attended were fraught with fans in their 30s-50s and although there’s nothing wrong with an older crowd, there’s nothing quite like the energy that misguided 20-somethings toss toward the stage to well-deserving punk bands. After all, it took me five shows to finally witness my first Gaslight Anthem crowd surfer so how do you explain that, huh?
I know I said earlier that each Gaslight Anthem show I’ve been to has been better than the last and although that’s true in a general sense, it’s not entirely true on all fronts. For instance, I would have loved a little bit more variety in the setlist than I’ve seen on past dates for this tour. I was hoping to hear a lot more History Books and Sink or Swim than Handwritten but hey, you can’t please everyone. I’m also apparently in the minority of Gaslight fans who love lead singer Brian Fallon’s ramblings between songs and was sad to only have gotten one of those this time around. The last time I saw the band was in Wisconsin about a year ago and it honestly seemed like Brian was comically entertaining us every other song and I absolutely loved it. It was my fourth show at that point and I’d heard almost every song live that I wanted to and all I really wanted to hear that night was stand-up Brian go off. Judging from the spew of online hate that came after that tour, it’s not hard to see why Brian stopped, I just hope he didn’t take it too personally and will open up more on the next tour; I mean, who wouldn’t want to hear his pissed-off rant about promoters scheduling his band to play the Salt Shed the same night Pearl Jam was playing at Wrigley Field?
Apart from those two somewhat minor complaints, last Thursday’s performance was one for the history books (cue laugh track). The energy and excitement the band had on full display radiated off the stage with every note. I’ve personally never seen Brian Fallon smile so much but I’ve also personally never been up so close at one of their shows before. They opened the show with the one-two-three punch of “American Slang”, “45”, and “Handwritten”, arguably three of their most beloved and popular songs; it was a feast for the senses, I tell you. As they’ve done most nights in the last week or so, they covered “Vera” by Pink Floyd, a one-minute cut from the band’s seminal 1979 release, The Wall. I’m not quite sure why they chose this song but it sounded nice and honestly made for a brilliant transition into “We Came To Dance” taken from their 2007 debut album Sink or Swim, undoubtedly one of my ten favorite records of all time.
I haven’t heard many Sink or Swim era songs live before so hearing the song live for the first time was quite the surprise! Continuing on with the more underrated cuts from their vast, vast catalog of already under-appreciated music, “The Spirit of Jazz” from 2010’s American Slang and “Helter Skeleton” from 2014’s Get Hurt both electrified while The ‘59 Sound’s “Film Noir” brought down a peg nothing but the tempo. They didn’t play much from History Books as I previously mentioned but the two songs they did play I had not experienced live before and was hoping and praying to hear. From the hauntingly heavy power chords of “I Live In The Room Above Her” to the lyrical majesties that make up “Michigan, 1975”, the Gaslight Anthem has never sounded so good; I only wish I could have heard the uproarious album opener “Spider Bites” or their first comeback single “Positive Charge” live too.
The second half of their set sounded even better than the first half as songs like “Blue Dahlia”, “Howl”, “The Patient Ferris Wheel”, and “Keepsake” each got powerhouse performances filled to the brim with a magic and spark I won’t soon forget (the latter of which capped off with a heavier-than-normal outro marked by chaotic soloing and vivacious drumming that had me grinning from ear to ear.) Hearing “Great Expectations” live will never not be a treat for sore ears but it’s hard to top your favorite band bringing out the singer of quite possibly the greatest local band in town, Ratboys! That’s right, Brian introduced Julia Steiner as the guest vocalist who was going to help him with the last two songs of the night and I was utterly shocked beyond belief. I’m not as familiar with all their work as I could be but 2021’s Happy Birthday, Ratboy is definitely up there in terms of the best albums by Chicago artists. Julia truly has one of my favorite voices in all of indie rock and to hear her sing “Here’s Lookin’ At You, Kid” amplified my enjoyment of the song ten times over. With her naturally twangy timbre paired so beautifully with the song’s melancholic profile, her performance felt like something out of my subconscious; it just made so much sense, like I had heard her sing over their songs before but just never remembered.
Marching full steam ahead into “The ‘59 Sound”, I was still shocked as to how well Julia’s voice fit Gaslight’s music. It was not on my 2024 bingo card to fall in love with the voice of Ratboys over the music of The Gaslight Anthem but now, more than anything else in the world, I want a duet on the next Gaslight record — no excuses guys! It feels a bit wearing to say but I’ll never get tired of hearing “The ‘59 Sound” live. It’s the rare case of a band’s most popular and iconic song actually being their best and hearing it live brings about a feeling in me quite unmatched by anything else. I say that but I haven’t even mentioned the fact they closed the whole show down with a riot-inducing cover of Nirvana’s unprecedented “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, arguably the biggest anthem of the 90s and of all time if we’re being honest with ourselves. Not only was Julia Steiner still on stage for a verse (who knew she sounded so good singing Nirvana of all bands!) but Brian also invited Pinkshift back on stage so lead singer Ashrita Kumar also got a verse and completely tore it to shreds in the best way. Suffice it to say, with their cover of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, The Gaslight Anthem has redeemed themselves for past sins (if you know you know.)
Even though I had my gripes, the Gaslight Anthem’s show last Thursday at the Salt Shed gave light to some of my favorite live memories from them and still left me wanting more; you really can’t ask for more than that. I don’t think I’ll ever get over hearing Julia from Ratboys sing two The ‘59 Sound-era songs plus a Nirvana classic and I got all of that and Joyce Manor too? This is turning out to be the most unexpected rags-to-riches story of 2024. I kid but it’s true, it was a very momentous show and I can’t wait for the next time I’m able to catch any of the three bands again.
All photos by Lorenzo Zenitsky.
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