July 17th, 2012 
Josh Hammond 
As the sweat pours from my body, drops creep down the bridge of my nose and catching on the paper on which I’m currently scribbling these notes. Searching the facility for water like a lost explorer in the desert, flashbacks of experiencing Gaslight Anthem at Austin City Limits flutter through my mind. Shockingly, that performance is remembered as a pleasured destination against the backdrop of this sold out show at a venue with a busted air conditioner on the evening of a Kansas day that reached 103 degrees.
With tickets at twenty bucks a pop, one would assume that the sold out venue could easily cover the costs of their air conditioning bill. It would seem however that money had been spent on either Juice Stop or hookers. It certainly hadn’t been used on bathroom cleaner.
The heat would cripple every aspect of the show. The band, which normally pops and shifts aggressively in time with their energetic and at times throwback punk by way of E-Street tunes, remained pretty stagnant throughout their set. The group’s crowd echoed the band’s sluggish approach, enjoying the show and singing along while moving as little as humanly possible. Clapping and throwing up rock fists were reserved for only those moments of epic proportion, as all energy was being conserved for survival, not celebration.
Regardless of the conditions there was plenty worth celebrating. The Lawrence, Kansas stop represented a rare glimpse at one of this decade’s most consistent bands in a venue half the size of most artist’s living rooms. The historic dive bar is generally known for hosting bands on the way up the industry ladder, not those currently perched on top. Having previously only experienced them in two-thousand plus attendance shows, I was on the edge of my seat in anticipation of the intimate environment.
Had the conditions been less suited for us to bury a body in the heart of the outskirts of the Las Vegas desert, the night might have been perfect. I won’t at any point fault the band for the show. I honestly can’t distinguish if the lack of energy was real or falsely perceived due to the general discomfort. However, I can in good confidence tell you that musically Gaslight Anthem did not disappoint. Unpacking their Springsteen on the stage of CBGB’s soundtrack, the band dusted off old favorites and presented a handful of unreleased cuts throughout the set. Peppered with tracks from The ‘59 Sound, American Slang and the yet to be released Handwritten, the group flew through the entire history of the band catalog, sampling pieces of each fork in the road. On multiple occasions Brian Fallon, the group’s punk frontman with a heart of gold, yanked away from the mic, allowing the crowd to sing alone. He’d then pause, calmly allowing the crowd to stew for a moment before slamming back into the song of choice. In good spirits he joked, smirked and taunted the crowd throughout the night. Refusing to let his discomfort bring the evening down, he insured that each track remained crisp and polished. The heats of hell might have descended on the The Bottleneck, but the set sounded like it was sent from heaven.
- REVIEW TIMES TWO: Kevin Devine – ‘Bubblegum’ & ‘Bulldozer’ - October 21, 2013
- TLC Return With New Album, Biopic, and Surprise Announcement - July 25, 2013
- REVIEW: Driver Friendly – Peaks + Valleys - June 11, 2013
Posted in 
Tags: 