I wish for a Gaslight tour

So Brian & The Crowes are touring again, playing Gaslight Anthem sized venues it seems, at least in 2010 terms. I just about get the hiatus stuff in respect of recording a new album, though there was nothing on Painkillers that couldn't have been on a TGA album, but I do wish they'd tour. Only Benny and Alex L. aren't part of the BF&TC tour, so unless it's for personal/family reasons (which we don't pry into), what's keeping them? Surely they can't be that sick of playing their back catalogue?!

I think I read somewhere that Brian has started writing new songs but for his solo stuff...so I guess we have to wait a few more years....

whats keeping them is a good question, I think Brian is not ready yet to tour with the band, he really likes and enjoys the solo touring and recording...so maybe we have to wait til he is sick of that? Idk...

steady now steady now wrote:

So Brian & The Crowes are touring again, playing Gaslight Anthem sized venues it seems, at least in 2010 terms. I just about get the hiatus stuff in respect of recording a new album, though there was nothing on Painkillers that couldn't have been on a TGA album, but I do wish they'd tour. Only Benny and Alex L. aren't part of the BF&TC tour, so unless it's for personal/family reasons (which we don't pry into), what's keeping them? Surely they can't be that sick of playing their back catalogue?!

I disagree that stuff could've been on a Gaslight record. There's so much extra instrumentation that the band would have to add extra people and at that point it isn't Gaslight anymore. Also the more country stuff just isn't their style at all.

Personally I'm excited for some more Gaslight but it hasn't been long since they went in hiatus at all. I saw them at the end of August last year, their final headline show. I think it just seems longer because Brian has managed to record, release, and tour an entire record in 12 months (pretty crazy actually). I read he was about to start working on songs for a new solo record so I guess that'll come first. Looks like Alex L has opened a restaurant too (it was on his instagram) this month so he's probably gonna want to focus on that for a bit. I think it'll be mid-2018 or early 2019 before we get a new TGA album. A 2018 tour to celebrate 10 years since The '59 Sound seems possible.

kjakm wrote:

A 2018 tour to celebrate 10 years since The '59 Sound seems possible.

That's a great point! I used to think it will take a lot longer, but you've given me some hope. My logic used to be: the whole thing of not having anything new to say as a band is probably related to Brian's divorce and the fact that Alex doesn't want to play divorce songs about his sister. Brian alone seems to have a lot to say, but it won't fit the band. It seems reasonable that it will take him at least a few more years to get the divorce behin him completely and have new things to write about, and until then I didn't think that there's any chance of a new album. Since they would have to kick out most of Get Hurt live, I thought that they would need a new album to fill the void. That's why I thought it would take at least six, seven more years.
But touring The '59 Sound would be an alternative. I hadn't thought about that. Thanks!

He's said it may times, and just again said it on his skype session today, and i tend to believe him:

He said the band doesn't currently have anything to say and he doesn't want to just put out a record for the sake of putting a new record out. So thats the answer if you are wonder why. Is it true? Well there is no real way to know, but it seems reasonable.

Especially cause I do think many songs on Painkillers dont really feel like gaslight songs. if nothing else mojo hands definitely isnt a gaslight song. Long drives could maybe work, but it definitely doesnt feel like a gaslight song. even among foolish things feels like it would be a departure from gaslight stuff.

a watched pot never boils so cant really worry about it, especially when brian is still coming out with music. and i think both alex's and benny also have other musical things they are doing.

I always find it interesting when people (Brian included) say they can't see the Painkillers songs as Gaslight songs. It's the total opposite for me. Obviously they wouldn't sound the same, but thematically it would have made total sense as not only the follow-up to Get Hurt, but kind of the album to leave Gaslight off at.

If Get Hurt ends up being the last Gaslight album, that's fine, I guess. It's a good album. But to me it would feel like ending on The Empire Strikes Back or something. It's the darkest-possible ending for the band. Painkillers would have at least provided a light at the end of the tunnel, while also harkening back to those early influences, the simplicity, and optimism of the first few records. Things would have come full circle, is what I'm saying. The songs on Painkillers would have made for a great ending.

Either way, I know the songs would have sounded different. But I still think even with the Gaslight spin, none of that would be lost.

Barresi wrote:

I always find it interesting when people (Brian included) say they can't see the Painkillers songs as Gaslight songs. It's the total opposite for me. Obviously they wouldn't sound the same, but thematically it would have made total sense as not only the follow-up to Get Hurt, but kind of the album to leave Gaslight off at.

I agree completely! I think that's sort of a hindsight bias. If Brian would have released Get Hurt as a solo album, we would have said that it doesn't sound like Gaslight, too. I think if the songs on Painkillers were produced differently, with more electric guitars etc., they could fit easily on a Gaslight record.