9:30 Club - 2 Nighter in DC

Gaslight Anthem was fantastic tonight!

Crowd was really into it... Huge mosh pit during encore... Lots of crowdsurfing, lots of people singing along... It was a vintage Gaslight show, definitely one of my favorite shows....

I will say the excitement was limited to the songs from AS and T59S and SOS, The Handwritten songs didn't get as much of a response... I was crushed up to the barrier for almost every song except the majority of Handwritten tunes....

There was a bit of a lull before the encore, until they played Blue dahlia in encore, which brought hte house down....

All in all it was a really fun show, great crowd, setlist was fun, really unique... They played Changing of the Guards and Once Upon a Time, Brian also sang part of "Waiting For Somebody" by Paul Westerberg during a song (can't remember which one)...

Also threw in a little "Come Together" during Old White LIncoln and Lyle Lovetts "I Wish I Had a boat" lol, that might not be the correct title

It was a lot of fun!

rkirkpatrick25 wrote:

Gaslight Anthem was fantastic tonight!

Crowd was really into it... Huge mosh pit during encore... Lots of crowdsurfing, lots of people singing along... It was a vintage Gaslight show, definitely one of my favorite shows....

I will say the excitement was limited to the songs from AS and T59S and SOS, The Handwritten songs didn't get as much of a response... I was crushed up to the barrier for almost every song except the majority of Handwritten tunes....

There was a bit of a lull before the encore, until they played Blue dahlia in encore, which brought hte house down....

All in all it was a really fun show, great crowd, setlist was fun, really unique... They played Changing of the Guards and Once Upon a Time, Brian also sang part of "Waiting For Somebody" by Paul Westerberg during a song (can't remember which one)...

Also threw in a little "Come Together" during Old White LIncoln and Lyle Lovetts "I Wish I Had a boat" lol, that might not be the correct title

It was a lot of fun!

Haha you have a very different definition of a good crowd than I do but glad you had fun. I saw the setlist. Very cover heavy! That's interesting how much they included even just bits of other songs in their songs. That's a cool way to switch it up. How long was the show?

It was just shy of 2 hours...

It's not fun to be a part of a crowd where people stand there and politely sing along...

Every Gaslight Show that's been fantastic has been a little wild but that's what you get when you go to a rock show...

Expect to move with the crowd, have people pushed up on you, people flying over you... It's all rock n roll... If people mosh that's okay, they're a jersey band and people liek to get wild...

All the best gaslight shows have it... At least the one's I've really enjoyed.... '09 at 930 club, Asbury Park Convention Hall Show, '12 @ 930 club, Wellmont Theater in '09... When the crowd is a bunch of dead fish, I'd rather have stayed home and watched youtube videos of them cuz its the same experience....

rkirkpatrick25 wrote:

Gaslight Anthem was fantastic tonight!

Crowd was really into it... Huge mosh pit during encore... Lots of crowdsurfing, lots of people singing along... It was a vintage Gaslight show, definitely one of my favorite shows....

I will say the excitement was limited to the songs from AS and T59S and SOS, The Handwritten songs didn't get as much of a response... I was crushed up to the barrier for almost every song except the majority of Handwritten tunes....

There was a bit of a lull before the encore, until they played Blue dahlia in encore, which brought hte house down....

All in all it was a really fun show, great crowd, setlist was fun, really unique... They played Changing of the Guards and Once Upon a Time, Brian also sang part of "Waiting For Somebody" by Paul Westerberg during a song (can't remember which one)...

Also threw in a little "Come Together" during Old White LIncoln and Lyle Lovetts "I Wish I Had a boat" lol, that might not be the correct title

It was a lot of fun!

Wow I can't wait to see that setlist....Once Upon a Time??? never thought I'd hear that they played that one again. Hope a video surfaces.

rkirkpatrick25 wrote:

It was just shy of 2 hours...

It's not fun to be a part of a crowd where people stand there and politely sing along...

Every Gaslight Show that's been fantastic has been a little wild but that's what you get when you go to a rock show...

Expect to move with the crowd, have people pushed up on you, people flying over you... It's all rock n roll... If people mosh that's okay, they're a jersey band and people liek to get wild...

All the best gaslight shows have it... At least the one's I've really enjoyed.... '09 at 930 club, Asbury Park Convention Hall Show, '12 @ 930 club, Wellmont Theater in '09... When the crowd is a bunch of dead fish, I'd rather have stayed home and watched youtube videos of them cuz its the same experience....

No I getcha, and I expect all of that and take the risk but when you're a girl who is 5' 3" and there's a bunch of football player sized men moshing around you and slamming you into the barrier which is chest height not waist height it's terrifying and potentially dangerous.

Also there's a HUGE range between "insane mosh pit" and "people just standing there". I've been to 1 show of theirs with a low barrier. I could breathe and it was awesome, and 1 where it was a huge dance party and everyone had a blast, also awesome.

It's just different when you're in a different situation. Like I said though, I'm glad you had a good experience.

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

No I getcha, and I expect all of that and take the risk but when you're a girl who is 5' 3" and there's a bunch of football player sized men moshing around you and slamming you into the barrier which is chest height not waist height it's terrifying and potentially dangerous.

oh, girl i feel you over here!! only 5 feet tall and if i'm not in the front for a show then it's completely not enjoyable! and the barriers are definitely bad for the chest/arms! many a bruises over the years

azlisa wrote:

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

No I getcha, and I expect all of that and take the risk but when you're a girl who is 5' 3" and there's a bunch of football player sized men moshing around you and slamming you into the barrier which is chest height not waist height it's terrifying and potentially dangerous.

oh, girl i feel you over here!! only 5 feet tall and if i'm not in the front for a show then it's completely not enjoyable! and the barriers are definitely bad for the chest/arms! many a bruises over the years

haha so many bruises, but I know that's part of the deal, but I hate when they push till you're crushed and then they keep pushing and I'm like "hey you're crushing my lungs, i need those!" haha.

I've been to a ton of Gaslight shows (over 20) and this was honestly up there for me. Haven't seen Brian that talkative since maybe 2010. The sound was great. For once I could hear every word he said and he wasn't muffled. Agree re:Patient... So much better live for me. I never took to the recorded version of Once Upon A Time but really liked how they played it tonight. I can't recall if I've ever seen it live. Maybe on the '59 Tour? I have some video clips that I'll upload unless someone uploads it first. I actually took video of just Benny going crazy during Queen/Chelsea. Anyway, great show. And we got Desire and We Came To Dance! But the highlight lately for me is Mae. So good.

Also WTF with people moshing during ...Choir? That was just weird.

Man I missed Brian's banter. So happy I went!

This video gives a great idea of how it was....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nur9q49CLmc

Here's the setlist from the second night at 9:30:

MAIN SET (onstage 9:25 p.m.)
Mae
High Lonesome
59 Sound
Here Comes My Man
Handwritten
Old White Lincoln/extended Come Together (Beatles) bridge
45
Too Much Blood
We Came to Dance
Biloxi Parish
Angry Johnny and the Radio/extended If I Had A Boat (Lyle Lovett) bridge
Miles Davis & the Cool
Howl
Patient Ferris Wheel
Desire
Here's Lookin' at You, Kid
Queen of Lower Chelsea
Backseats

ENCORE (10:55 p.m.)
I Can't Steal You (w/Matthew Ryan)
Once Upon A Time
Mulholland
Diamond Church Street Choir
American Slang/Waitin for Somebody tag (Paul Westerberg)
Changing of the Guards (Dylan cover)
Blue Dahlia
Great Expectations

Offstage approx. 11:25 p.m.


I mentioned yesterday I wondered what type of vibe we'd have on the second night, and this was definitely the more intense version of Gaslight, though not so much as I've seen at other shows; Brian did a fair amount of bantering, but it was more focused and nowhere near as much as Sunday night (this is preferable for me). His intro to Once Upon A Time was particularly good and so compelling it was perfectly quiet among the crowd; it really set the song up well and they killed this version.

Only 5 songs different on night 2, and two of those were covers, so I was a little disappointed by that. Basically they just shuffled the order of some of the songs but kept the basic set structure in place. Comparing the two nights, I liked the main set of Night 1 better, and the encore of Night 2 better—the Night 2 encore was so focused and sharp. Both shows, overall, were of the same quality—not the very very best I've seen from them, but up there. It definitely felt like a "complete" experience with a well-rounded set both nights and great performances of just about every song.

The Come Together and If I Had A Boat interludes were both extended; they played two verses and a chorus of CT, and played just about the entire song of Boat, minus repeating the choruses.

Howl absolutely lights the room on fire every time; what a great live song that is—it kicks the crowd up whenever it's played.

I was struck last night by how great it is whenever the five of them get to just wail away … last night it was Too Much Blood and Changing of the Guards that stood out in that category.

The crowd was definitely more rambunctious last night from my vantage point in the balcony. Bigger, more active mosh pit, for sure. Seemed like a little less moronic catcalling, as well, which was nice, though of course there were still a few.

Lastly, all the Handwritten songs come off so well in concert; it makes me wish they'd recorded the album with more of a "live" feel like the earlier records.

All in all, definitely a good experience. Really fun to see them back-to-back nights at the same venue for the first time.

Last night was my first Gaslight show out of the many I've been to where I watched from the balcony and I'm so glad I did! I'm usually down on the barricade or at least 2nd row but since Perkins has moved up front I couldn't watch Benny go nuts on the drums which I love so up on the balcony I went. I definitely agree last night was the more intense version of Gaslight and getting to hear Once Upon A Time live again was a treat. I don't think I'd seen them play itsince the Park Avenue session which was one of my first TGA shows. Also I doubt he's a member here but I wanna give major props to the guy in the pit last night who did the Carlton dance from Fresh Prince through at least 75% of the show. That dude had the biggest smile on his face and looked to be having the best time, he totally made my night.

File under csb: just ran in to the boys at the airport waiting for my flight home, they all looked pretty tired thanks to the early hour no doubt but I thanked them and congratulated them on 2 great shows. So glad I wasn't wearing their merch and gushing like a fangirl like I did years ago when I ended up on the same flight as My Chemical Romance.

J_Schooly wrote:

Here's the setlist from the second night at 9:30:

All in all, definitely a good experience. Really fun to see them back-to-back nights at the same venue for the first time.

Thanks so much for the thorough and thoughtful write-up. Makes me wish we had write-ups like these for every show a la backstreets.com.

I loved that for the most part the crowd shut up while Brian talked. A few people who couldn't help yelling things at him (which I can't stand), but it was cool that people weren't chatting amongst themselves. Also not as much photo/video taking as I normally see. There was one "Play some Bruce" shout that just made me roll my eyes. But basically it was a more attentive crowd than I'm used to with them.

I saw that dancing guy too (red shirt if that's who you meant). There was also another guy I noticed who I thought was a Dad getting accidentally dragged into the pit. But after awhile I realized he was there on purpose!
I loved that Ian is up front now too. Feels more legit and not like he's being hidden in the back.

I had some woman next to me who just would not shut up.... and then some guy kept coming up to me propositioning me. Great night, etc...

looks like somebody already uploaded this from the show last night. definitely one of the highlights for me.

come together into old white lincoln.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z8KOWHaGFw


thanks to whoever put this on youtube!

Sounds like a great pair of shows. How was Brian's voice? It was a little rough on the 2nd night at Terminal 5 and I hope he had time to recover...

Shrewsbury_Stars wrote:

J_Schooly wrote:

Here's the setlist from the second night at 9:30:

All in all, definitely a good experience. Really fun to see them back-to-back nights at the same venue for the first time.

Thanks so much for the thorough and thoughtful write-up. Makes me wish we had write-ups like these for every show a la backstreets.com.

Wow, thanks a lot for that! What a nice thing to say. I would love to do a travelogue, haha!

As for Brian's voice, it was the typical thing that I've noticed at almost every show, where it's rough to start and then warms up. It warmed up quicker on Night 1; Night 2 took a while longer (he was having to alter some of the high notes down to lower range early on, which I've heard him do before) but when it locked in about midway through the show, it actually sounded even better from there on out as opposed to Night 1. In the encore, especially, he was crushing it.

I just can't express, even though several of the songs were the same, how much better the Night 2 encore was (not that Night 1 was bad, mind you). He and Matthew Ryan got into their song quicker with less of an intro, which was good for momentum, and then he followed it up with that spectacular story intro to Once Upon A Time that set the tone for the rest of the show. Blue Dahlia on Night 2 was exactly what I was hoping for, performance-wise, from my favorite song on Handwritten; it wasn't quite to that level on Night 1. And the Dylan cover was even better than the recorded version.

scarsrsouvenirs wrote:

looks like somebody already uploaded this from the show last night. definitely one of the highlights for me.

come together into old white lincoln.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z8KOWHaGFw


thanks to whoever put this on youtube!

Awesome to see the full band Come Together get played.

I got in to soundcheck at the HOB in Boston a couple years ago (we were hanging by the side door and Brian invited us in) and I remember it sounding awesome.

One thing I thought was fantastic about last night's show was the way that the band followed Brian's cues...

There were many moments where it was clear Brian was improvising a TON and Benny and the Alex's and Ian would watch him and figure out what was going on and they played amazingly well tgether....

Just got home so I'm gonna try and upload the videos I took during last night's show. I took quite a few but don't wanna clog the page so I'll post one later and you can check out the rest if you want.

Got them all uploaded, enjoy.

Audio from night 1 if anyone is interested:

http://sdrv.ms/TNPLcr

pookieray wrote:

Last night was my first Gaslight show out of the many I've been to where I watched from the balcony and I'm so glad I did! I'm usually down on the barricade or at least 2nd row but since Perkins has moved up front I couldn't watch Benny go nuts on the drums which I love so up on the balcony I went. I definitely agree last night was the more intense version of Gaslight and getting to hear Once Upon A Time live again was a treat. I don't think I'd seen them play itsince the Park Avenue session which was one of my first TGA shows. Also I doubt he's a member here but I wanna give major props to the guy in the pit last night who did the Carlton dance from Fresh Prince through at least 75% of the show. That dude had the biggest smile on his face and looked to be having the best time, he totally made my night.

File under csb: just ran in to the boys at the airport waiting for my flight home, they all looked pretty tired thanks to the early hour no doubt but I thanked them and congratulated them on 2 great shows. So glad I wasn't wearing their merch and gushing like a fangirl like I did years ago when I ended up on the same flight as My Chemical Romance.

I think I met you in line! Good call going up to the balcony, we got crushed downstairs for a bit before moving back so we could actually dance.

El Jefe wrote:

I had some woman next to me who just would not shut up.... and then some guy kept coming up to me propositioning me. Great night, etc...

And I think I was on the other side of that woman


I liked the set list/order better on Sunday, but the show flowed better on Monday. Glad I went to both nights!

dustinpardue wrote:

Audio from night 1 if anyone is interested:

http://sdrv.ms/TNPLcr

I'm definitely interested! Thanks so much! If you know of anywhere I can download the audio for any of the nights from Philly-NYC-DC2 let me know!
Thanks!