The Gaslight Anthem @ The Forum, Melbourne (03/02/2015)
A white sheet lowers. On it is the upside down red heart from The Gaslight Anthem’s minimalist Get Hurt album cover. The crowd up front bustles and the fans sitting in the booths and on the benches stand, and remain standing for the duration of the night. The sheet is lit up as the New Jersey band walk on stage. They look casual as they enter, due to both their attire and disposition.
The Forum seems slightly ill-fitting as a setting when contemplating the band’s genre in combination with the venue’s eloquent architecture. When the vast demographic in attendance is considered though, it makes perfect sense. There is an almost ethereal glow in the space as the band begin their set. The front of the crowd forms an almost-mosh, a rare thing to see at the venue. They start their massive 25-song set with ‘The ’59 Sound’ (clearly as a personal shout out to this publication). |
As The Gaslight Anthem play, they far from overdo the enthusiasm. The only exception to this is perhaps Benny Horowitz, who looks a little Dave Grohl-ish behind the drum kit. To me, the band’s songs have more power to them when played live than they do on record. In particular, ‘Angry Johnny and the Radio’, ‘1930’, ‘I Could’a Been a Contender’, and the band’s final song ‘We're Getting a Divorce, You Keep the Diner’. Brian Fallon’s vocals alternate effectively between strong and scratchy with a bit of shakiness (not in a bad way). At times it can be said that the songs blend together, almost to the point where there appears to be two distinct kinds of songs—rock and slow rock—but to say that would be to ignore that this sameness is crucial to The Gaslight Anthem’s style. The similarities throughout the band’s back catalogue are what fans are drawn to, as is the case with bands like Alkaline Trio and Anberlin. In addition to this, each song played has a touch of pop sensibility, which is likely the reason the band appeals to such a wide audience, but the four guitars hammering away make certain it remains just a touch.
Glancing around through the sea of heads in the crowd, it is impossible to identify a distinct fan group. There are people of all ages (from 18 upwards) and of all sorts, from those with hair slicked back, spiked, or in dreadlocks, to people with all kinds of interesting hats. Some fans wear caps or flat caps, and there is even a skater cap and a fedora or two to be seen. However, no matter how different all of these people may be, they come together as a crowd, singing and clapping along to the one thing they have in common—the music they enjoy. This is most notable during ‘45’, ‘Handwritten’, ‘Great Expectations’, and ‘Mulholland Drive’. The full band performance of ‘Red at Night’ also receives a warm response, and is a truly great moment, particularly for long-time fans of The Gaslight Anthem. ‘The Patient Ferris Wheel’ takes the crowd even further, really getting them moving, with their hands waving and fists punching the air, as they collectively chant.
Brian’s banter between songs is without a doubt as entertaining, if not more entertaining, than when the band is playing music. After complimenting the food in Melbourne, he tells a few dad jokes—“You want me to call you? I'll call you? What do you want me to call you?”—before announcing “this song is called 1,000 Dad Jokes” and playing ‘1,000 Years’. He disses European dance festivals, compares Benny with Johnny Depp as Mort Rainey in The Secret Window, and even says “You want us to play Kiss? Rock'n'roll.” At one point Brian tells heckling fans they need to condense their sentences as if they were at a baseball game in order for him to understand them, but once they do he promptly says “now you condensed it too much”. “Communication is key!” he declares. He continues to playfully pick on fans when they yell out song specific questions, or when he tells the audience he doesn’t like photos—“What if I believe like some American Indians do that it will steal my soul? Seriously, what if I do?” Before the night ends, Brian announces to the audience "this is the proverbial flower", and then The Gaslight Anthem finish big with ‘We're Getting a Divorce, You Keep the Diner’ and its strong final refrain, “stay hungry, stay free, and do the best you can”
Nathan Fioritti
Glancing around through the sea of heads in the crowd, it is impossible to identify a distinct fan group. There are people of all ages (from 18 upwards) and of all sorts, from those with hair slicked back, spiked, or in dreadlocks, to people with all kinds of interesting hats. Some fans wear caps or flat caps, and there is even a skater cap and a fedora or two to be seen. However, no matter how different all of these people may be, they come together as a crowd, singing and clapping along to the one thing they have in common—the music they enjoy. This is most notable during ‘45’, ‘Handwritten’, ‘Great Expectations’, and ‘Mulholland Drive’. The full band performance of ‘Red at Night’ also receives a warm response, and is a truly great moment, particularly for long-time fans of The Gaslight Anthem. ‘The Patient Ferris Wheel’ takes the crowd even further, really getting them moving, with their hands waving and fists punching the air, as they collectively chant.
Brian’s banter between songs is without a doubt as entertaining, if not more entertaining, than when the band is playing music. After complimenting the food in Melbourne, he tells a few dad jokes—“You want me to call you? I'll call you? What do you want me to call you?”—before announcing “this song is called 1,000 Dad Jokes” and playing ‘1,000 Years’. He disses European dance festivals, compares Benny with Johnny Depp as Mort Rainey in The Secret Window, and even says “You want us to play Kiss? Rock'n'roll.” At one point Brian tells heckling fans they need to condense their sentences as if they were at a baseball game in order for him to understand them, but once they do he promptly says “now you condensed it too much”. “Communication is key!” he declares. He continues to playfully pick on fans when they yell out song specific questions, or when he tells the audience he doesn’t like photos—“What if I believe like some American Indians do that it will steal my soul? Seriously, what if I do?” Before the night ends, Brian announces to the audience "this is the proverbial flower", and then The Gaslight Anthem finish big with ‘We're Getting a Divorce, You Keep the Diner’ and its strong final refrain, “stay hungry, stay free, and do the best you can”
Nathan Fioritti