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.
