We're Gonna Build Something This Summer
After last night, I think I may be a rare breed. I'm what's known as a casual Gaslight Anthem fan. From our position up front, and then even as we moved back through the crowd, I don't think that CoolMom and I came across another one. The sold out Stone Pony Summer Stage was a sea of people cheering the opening chords to every song and singing every lyric.
The weather was iffy all day. Not only had it been raining on and off, but it was also cold and windy. CoolMom put on her winter coat, and we headed out to kick off the summer. We arrived during opener Luther's set as a light rain fell. I convinced CoolMom to move close to the front with me so that we'd have a good view when The Hold Steady came out for their set.
Philly's Luther currently record for The Bouncing Souls' Chunksaah Records. They play pop-punk influenced rock and roll and were a nice fit on the bill with The Gaslight Anthem. Throughout their thirty-minute set, the folks up front with us pumped their fists and sang along.
The rain let up, even stopped, as we waited for The Hold Steady. Just as they took the stage at 7:15, though, it came back. At points during the set, it came down pretty hard, causing a delay when guitarist Tad Kubler's amp got soaked.
The Hold Steady opened with "Constructive Summer" from 2008's Stay Positive. The song's lyric "We're gonna build something this summer / We'll put it back together" wasn't lost on anyone, the crowd raising their arms and screaming in unison through the wind and rain. Frontman Craig Finn gave us his usual frenetic moving and dancing as he preached the lyrics of each song to the crowd, stepping away from the mic from time to time to re-mouth the words while shaking his head, shrugging his shoulders, or smiling and laughing. Several times he came to the edge of the stage, arms spread wide, and encouraged the crowd to sing along. Brian Sella and Matt Uychich of The Front Bottoms watched the whole set from the side of the stage as Sella sang along with the rest of us.
The absence of keyboardist Franz Nicolay, who left the band in 2010, was felt on songs like "Stuck Between Stations," "Chips Ahoy!" and "Southtown Girls;" but the band filled out the sound with even more crushingly loud guitar. None of the songs suffered. The roughly hourlong set also included favorites like "Rock Problems," "Sequestered in Memphis," "Your Little Hoodrat Friend," and "You Can Make Him Like You," closing with "Slapped Actress."
As darkness fell, the rain stopped. The Gaslight Anthem took the stage, as scheduled, just after 8:30, opening with "Handwritten." CoolMom and I were pretty well hemmed in at this point, as the crush of not-so-casual fans pushed their way to the front. I think it was during "American Slang" when the drunk, 250-pound plus man mountain with the shaved head and Oxford shirt began hurling himself into tiny female Gaslight Anthem fans and throwing elbows. He received a few punches, pushes, and harsh words which only caused him to turn up the violence. Anticipating a bad outcome to this, CoolMom and I threw in the towel and headed toward the back.
From our new spot, we saw the rest of the set, including "45," "The Patient Ferris Wheel" ("I've never felt so strange / Standing in the Jersey Rain"), and "Too Much Blood." The Stone Pony Summer Stage may have given rise to the first-ever incident of crowd surfing during a Bon Iver song when The Gaslight Anthem covered "Blood Bank."
"Thanks for coming out. A little rain didn't stop you. We had enough rain in the fall. Now it's time to start the summer," said Brian Fallon at one point. That summed up the whole feel of the show. The weather was a little sketchy, but we've all seen worse. Last night ended up being the real release of much of the emotion that's built up over the last seven or so months.
The Gaslight Anthem brought people together. There were hardcore fans, casual fans, and non-fans who just wanted to get the beach season started. After the show, the re-opened Langosta Lounge across the street was packed with people, including many members of the New Jersey and Asbury Park music scene, enjoying a few drinks and listening to even more music from Asbury's Sikamor Rooney.
Summer at the Jersey Shore started in the wind and cold last night. You can still get in on phase 2 as I think there are still tickets available for the second Gaslight Anthem show tonight with The Felice Brothers. And we've got an entire, beautiful, comeback summer ahead of us. Be safe. Have fun.
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