Possibility of The Gaslight Anthem playing at 2012 Bamboozle?

ahhh fair enough, yeah, I avoid festivals for those very reasons, I'm too old for that headache now for a poor sounding set, and a glimpse in the distance of the band I want to see at a premium price for 30-45 minutes, there's cheaper ways to do that..ie. a gig proper

acousticbandit wrote:

if you've got beef with $4 waters and $7 hamburgers maybe you shouldn't go to festivals. just sayin'.

Excellent pun usage. I award you 10 points.

Thanks for all the recaps. Kinda glad I stayed away. I just can deal with the crazy long waits and crowds of rude/drunk people. I saw someone had written on Twitter that the 2 very different crowds weren't meshing at all. Not really surprised at that. I will try to settle for Webster Hall being my next show. Would have done House of Blues AC but am going away that weekend.

Anyhow, at over 30, I am definitely too old for these festivals.

acousticbandit wrote:

NeverTrustAJunkie wrote:

Tonight sucked. Before you go: add on 2h to whatever google tells you your travel time is. I had an hr and a half delay in traffic getting to the bus. I heard also the trains are super packed. The crowd is massive. If you are looking to get barricade for Gaslight get there early. Also the will call line is massive, maybe another half hour wait. And don't for a minute think you'll get cell service whenever you want it. Could barely text and/or get internet until I got away from the crowds. Bottles of water were $4, a totally plain hamburger, $7. That's all I got. Chuck and Hot Water Music were all I got out of tonight. I don't want to get into all the BS of my day because I will launch into a pity party extravaganza. But Chuck was the sunshine of my life today.

if you've got beef with $4 waters and $7 hamburgers maybe you shouldn't go to festivals. just sayin'.

I didn't say I had an issue with it. I was just telling her what to expect pricewise so she could prepare.

What contributed to my bitching was the following:

It took 1h 30min to go 5.5 miles. This caused me to miss shooting Jimmy Eat World which pissed me off. Also, I was one of the few photographers who was going to be allowed to shoot MCR. 15 minutes before they went on, we were told NO ONE could shoot them and were not given a reason as to why not. This was extremely disappointing because I was really looking forward to shooting them and they were a major motivation in me busting my ass to get there Saturday.

It was ridiculous to have this festival in Asbury Park at all. It normally takes me 1h 30m to get to the boardwalk where I can park within 5 minutes walking distance from whatever venue I'm going to. Saturday the whole process between driving down and taking the shuttle took 4 hours and 15 minutes. Then with the MCR news on top of it, plus the fact Foo Fighters were all selective about who was going to shoot them, I was sent over the edge.

I actually love covering festivals (which I was this weekend, so I'll have a write-up and photos up soon) and will keep going. Saturday was just a fluke and I was frustrated because doing this stuff is all I care about.

So really my issue was not with the hamburger price or problem with cell phone service.

Festivals just kind of suck in general.

NeverTrustAJunkie wrote:

plugga wrote:

brand new are PHENOMENAL live.

They did an amazing cover of NIN "Wish". I think the Bon Jovi crowd was like "What?"

omg, I need youtube to have that.
I saw they are always closing with "you won't know", on february my jaw was on the floor, possibly best live song EVER

I read that as Bon Jovi covering 'Wish' ... it took me a few seconds to pick my jaw back up from the ground. Then I read the Brand New bit before that

Klown wrote:

I read that as Bon Jovi covering 'Wish' ... it took me a few seconds to pick my jaw back up from the ground. Then I read the Brand New bit before that

I loved that Bon Jovi opened with Raise Your Hands so much you have no idea.

simo wrote:

Festivals just kind of suck in general.

For me they suck if I'm going for one band, so I don't go unless I can justify the ticket price. Which means there's gotta be at least 3 bands I want to see. I went to a fest in '02 at Foxboro Stadium (or whatever they call it now- where the Patriots play) that still remains one of my top concert experiences.

I remember when I saw Bon Jovi in ermmm...around 95/96, and they opened with 'Lay Your Hands On Me' they had a full marching band playing the intro, and then shot fireworks over the top of the crowd before launching into the song, that was fantastic. It was when they had the big funfair stage setup.



Obviously it wasn't THAT gig, but you get the just of what I mean

I loved seeing them. Seemed a lot of people were leaving during their set. I think they were probably tired and also it was really cold. Like, I was shivering all day. Was also excited they did Blood on Blood. For some reason I don't think they did Lay Your Hands On Me but I might be misremembering.

PS Chuck's hair is so long now it's crazy.

Seeing Gaslight and Brand new was great, but last night SUCKED. My friend and I were on the left side of the stage, maybe about 6 or 7 rows from the front. Everyone in front of us were Bon Jovi fans. We were talking to these girls and apparently everyone on the barrier that day was from the Bon Jovi fan club and they'd paid $3000 to have those spots. Completely unfair when there's other bands playing all day with their own fanbases, and these people on the barrier don't give a shit about any of them.
On top of that there was this guy near us who was being an absolute dick during Gaslight's set. He was this big heavy guy who wrapped his arms around the people next to him. He grabbed and threw back anyone who tried to pass him or his girlfriend and he got into screaming matches with anyone who called him out on it. My friend told him we were there for Gaslight and Brand New, and that since he was just there for Bon Jovi he didn't need to even worry about people getting in front of him because we were probably going to leave after Brand New anyway...then he started screaming at her. There was one point where I was standing next to his girlfriend and I was getting pushed forward and he tried to grab me and push me back. I grabbed his arm to get him off of me, and then he took my arm and twisted it behind him and called me a "fucking whore". Whatever. He's an asshole with bad karma. We were able to get around and in front of him eventually and enjoy the rest of Gaslight.
I'm so glad I got into Bamboozle for free this year because there's no way I would have paid this much for such bullshit.

couple of other videos are up.

Velocity wrote:

Seeing Gaslight and Brand new was great, but last night SUCKED. My friend and I were on the left side of the stage, maybe about 6 or 7 rows from the front. Everyone in front of us were Bon Jovi fans. We were talking to these girls and apparently everyone on the barrier that day was from the Bon Jovi fan club and they'd paid $3000 to have those spots. Completely unfair when there's other bands playing all day with their own fanbases, and these people on the barrier don't give a shit about any of them.
On top of that there was this guy near us who was being an absolute dick during Gaslight's set. He was this big heavy guy who wrapped his arms around the people next to him. He grabbed and threw back anyone who tried to pass him or his girlfriend and he got into screaming matches with anyone who called him out on it. My friend told him we were there for Gaslight and Brand New, and that since he was just there for Bon Jovi he didn't need to even worry about people getting in front of him because we were probably going to leave after Brand New anyway...then he started screaming at her. There was one point where I was standing next to his girlfriend and I was getting pushed forward and he tried to grab me and push me back. I grabbed his arm to get him off of me, and then he took my arm and twisted it behind him and called me a "fucking whore". Whatever. He's an asshole with bad karma. We were able to get around and in front of him eventually and enjoy the rest of Gaslight.
I'm so glad I got into Bamboozle for free this year because there's no way I would have paid this much for such bullshit.

WTF!!! What a loser that guy was. I was standing by the backstage gate all day cus that's where all the photographers had to go in for each band. I was minding my own business and a security guard literally elbowed me aside really hard when I wasn't even in his way. That must have been nervewracking for you too since security can't really see beyond the first few rows unless they're standing up on the riser. Which they seem to do very sporadically at best unless a crowdsurfer's on his/her way down. I once had a run-in with a girl right in front of a security guard during a band's set and the guy did nothing. I was going to punch her in the stomach with my elbow but I learned my lesson about that at another show to just let it go cus it's not worth it.

Another weird moment last night was security carrying a teenage girl and laying her on the ground. I literally thought she was dead because she was just like a sack of flour in her arms and didn't move. Then I saw her breathing. Turns out she was completely wasted and passed out center-crowd. They had to fish her out.

I don't understand how they got priority spots? Some came from Spain or something to be there. At least according to their signs they had. The other thing is that VIP section they had was actually really far from the stage, so don't even bother doing that next time if anyone was even thinking about it.

acousticbandit wrote:

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

CluckyB wrote:

Doesn't surprise me. Tis why festivals generally suck. A little surprised they were *that* lukewarmly received... was probably just your perception. But like, unless you're there for the headliner or are at a place like Fest where people actually show up for the music and not just the one band that isn't playing for another three hours, you are going to have a bad time.

I may have been exxagerating a bit when i say ten people but not by much. Maybe someone else had a better view than me but I could see a lot of the crowd and i couldnt believe it. Buckcherry went before them and got a way better response. And brian commented on it so i know i wasnt just missing something.

from where i was most people seemed to be into gaslight and were hating on buckcherry pretty hard.

Clearly you had a better spot than me haha. At least more people seemed to be nodding their heads as the set went on. So maybe a few people were converted.

Velocity wrote:

Seeing Gaslight and Brand new was great, but last night SUCKED. My friend and I were on the left side of the stage, maybe about 6 or 7 rows from the front. Everyone in front of us were Bon Jovi fans. We were talking to these girls and apparently everyone on the barrier that day was from the Bon Jovi fan club and they'd paid $3000 to have those spots. Completely unfair when there's other bands playing all day with their own fanbases, and these people on the barrier don't give a shit about any of them.
On top of that there was this guy near us who was being an absolute dick during Gaslight's set. He was this big heavy guy who wrapped his arms around the people next to him. He grabbed and threw back anyone who tried to pass him or his girlfriend and he got into screaming matches with anyone who called him out on it. My friend told him we were there for Gaslight and Brand New, and that since he was just there for Bon Jovi he didn't need to even worry about people getting in front of him because we were probably going to leave after Brand New anyway...then he started screaming at her. There was one point where I was standing next to his girlfriend and I was getting pushed forward and he tried to grab me and push me back. I grabbed his arm to get him off of me, and then he took my arm and twisted it behind him and called me a "fucking whore". Whatever. He's an asshole with bad karma. We were able to get around and in front of him eventually and enjoy the rest of Gaslight.
I'm so glad I got into Bamboozle for free this year because there's no way I would have paid this much for such bullshit.

ugh. that's like the worst part about shows, when you encounter assholes like that. it's awful.
i can remember plenty of instances like that

bt211 wrote:

I was to the very far left of the stage, one person from the rail. All the people around me were Bon Jovi fans and none had heard of Gaslight Anthem before. It was also very squishy by then and hard to move.
At least from where I was standing it was very hard to make out Brian's voice on the fast songs, they need to turn his mike up more. He also sounded a little hoarse to me, probably two long flights in three days won't help. The songs just sounded different from hearing them in smaller venues, maybe it was the sound mix.
Aside from that it was really cool to see them on the main stage and in daylight. I had already bought my tickets before TGA was announced so this was an extra treat (together with MCR added last minute for Saturday). I may have some pictures later today or tomorrow, have to see how they came out.
Overall I definitely prefer seeing bands in small venues than the festival format but being in Asbury Park on the beach in beautiful weather was just a great event. Aside from the issues getting the correct wristbands the event seemed well run and I think the businesses along the boardwalk all benefitted.

I thought it was hard to make out his voice any time the band was playing at all loudly. The mixing really was terrible. That's interesting you say he sounded hoarse. I really couldn't hear him well enough to judge, but it seemed like he sounded better than he did for the NYC show. Again though, it was so hard to tell, they really needed to turn his mic up. Heck, when Bon Jovi played later, I could barely hear him either! But it was worth it to see them and I enjoyed Brand New and The Bouncing Souls too so I don't feel like I wasted my money at least.

Velocity wrote:

Seeing Gaslight and Brand new was great, but last night SUCKED. My friend and I were on the left side of the stage, maybe about 6 or 7 rows from the front. Everyone in front of us were Bon Jovi fans. We were talking to these girls and apparently everyone on the barrier that day was from the Bon Jovi fan club and they'd paid $3000 to have those spots. Completely unfair when there's other bands playing all day with their own fanbases, and these people on the barrier don't give a shit about any of them.
On top of that there was this guy near us who was being an absolute dick during Gaslight's set. He was this big heavy guy who wrapped his arms around the people next to him. He grabbed and threw back anyone who tried to pass him or his girlfriend and he got into screaming matches with anyone who called him out on it. My friend told him we were there for Gaslight and Brand New, and that since he was just there for Bon Jovi he didn't need to even worry about people getting in front of him because we were probably going to leave after Brand New anyway...then he started screaming at her. There was one point where I was standing next to his girlfriend and I was getting pushed forward and he tried to grab me and push me back. I grabbed his arm to get him off of me, and then he took my arm and twisted it behind him and called me a "fucking whore". Whatever. He's an asshole with bad karma. We were able to get around and in front of him eventually and enjoy the rest of Gaslight.
I'm so glad I got into Bamboozle for free this year because there's no way I would have paid this much for such bullshit.

That's nuts but it explains a lot. Someone said they heard the two very different crowds didn't mesh. That's 100% true. The Bon Jovi fans were um, insane (not all of them, but a lot). I got why they'd camp out there a few bands early but they were so aggressive, it was nuts, especially considering the age group.

I had 2 people around me into their set. Then the people who were previously bored livened up during Here's Lookin'... so I guess that should have been a single cus it won them over albeit at the very end.

I've never heard Brian say anything about the lack of response at a show before so obviously it was pretty lame if he felt the need to say something.

What did he say?

Brian basically said "You better not be like this when Bon Jovi comes out." I forgot what he said before that lead him to say that.

What a nightmare. He must have been tired and pissed off and bummed. I woulda been.

Wow, what a shame. Thats a little ridiculous that they would reserve the front row to Bon Jovi fan club members, doesn't seem right.

I feel bad, I'm sure that isn't at all what the guys were expecting

I honestly hate Bon Jovi and his fans. I've found they're all a-holes in the 50s with beer bellies. But this was Asbury Park, Brian's stomping ground---it's just messed up honestly.

I think the reaction or non-reaction to Gaslight in their home state shows why they play so much in Europe. They tend to get a better reception when they play in Europe. The crowds really get into it and from what I've heard from this year and my mate who went last year to Bamboozle a lot of people in NJ just don't know/aren't into Gaslight. I find it strange I thought they would be huge in New Jersey by now.

Exactly. You hit it spot on. People thousands of miles away are more willing to give his sound a chance than people in his backyard. It's arrogance.