Saturday night was my first time at Irving Plaza somehow. For some reason I always expected it to be one of the larger venues in the city, but I was pleasantly surprised as to how fairly intimate/medium sized it was especially for a band like The Gaslight Anthem.
Sounding larger than life with that New Jersey pride seeping through, The Gaslight Anthem led us down the anthematic epic path in a rock solid 16-song set. “’59 Sound” and “The Diamond Church Street Choir” were two of the first three songs played. They’re some of my favorite songs by them, so hearing them that early set quite the tone.
From there we got a good mix of new material (highlight was “45”) as well as all the goodies: “American Slang, “Great Expectations”, “The Backseat.” They even gave us “Boomboxes And Dictionaries” from their debut album.
Brian Fallon has grown into quite the frontman. He’s enthusiastic, on point, and engaging. The rest of the band do their job, but without Fallon, I don’t see The Gaslight Anthem being as great as they are. When they’re playing, we all feel a little Jersey pride, even though normally it would be the other way around.
Hit the jump for a collection of photos as well as the setlist.
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