All three levels on the floor, the balcony, and even the aisles were filled at The Rivera Theater Friday, March 1 for The Gaslight Anthem with supporting acts The Bouncing Souls and Cory Branan.
As the Bouncing Souls played, the backdrop for Gaslight Anthem loomed above the stage, with “New Jersey” inscribed on the bottom. It was fitting for The Bouncing Souls as well, a fellow Jersey-born band.
Throughout The Bouncing Souls’ short set, crowds slowly grew. The set covered a relatively large range of the band’s catalogue, with “Hopeless Romantic” from the eponymous 1999 album, to tracks like “Comet” and their closing with “Ship in a Bottle” from 2012’s “Comet.”
By the time The Bouncing Souls left the stage, Riviera security guards were already turning away new concertgoers wishing to push their way into the pit. If they hadn’t already been on the lowermost level, they were forced to find another spot in the over-packed theatre. Luckly, the conditions were worth it for Gaslight Anthem.
The band took the stage to Van Halen’s “Jump,” showing the playful side of the band. It’s hard to find humor in the oft-heartbreaking lyrics of frontman Brian Fallon, but it’s certainly there. A drum roll from Benny Horowitz ushered in “High Lonesome,” followed by “High” and “American Slang,” talking on tracks from their last three albums right off the bat.
As with every performance, Brian Fallon connects so easily to the crowd. His voice carries the gritty and raw emotion on recorded tracks, but there’s a certain something about Fallon’s voice that can only be captured in a live performance with sweaty bodies singing along
Throughout the balance between The Gaslight Anthem’s three most-known albums (“’59 Sound,” “American Slang” and “Handwritten”) was distributed relatively evenly, an obvious emphasis was put on “Handwritten,” the band’s 2012 release, playing all but two songs off that album.
The set was heavy on music, which seems absolutely ridiculous to have to mention, but oftentimes artists interject lots of breaks, banters and whatever else they feel necessary. It’s refreshing to see a show driven by the music. That’s what everyone comes for, right? It must be that good ol’ New Jersey way, or something.
Later in the night the band hit on some of their older tracks playing two songs off 2007’s “Sink or Swim.”