The Gaslight Anthem – March 24th – Ogden Theatre

Estimated read time 4 min read

DSC_3674Photos by Todd Radunsky

The Scene: A long line of people stretched into the cool Spring night in front of the Ogden Theatre last Tuesday night as fans from all over the state of Colorado flocked to see and hear New Jersey rockers, The Gaslight Anthem.

I’ve heard this band described by some as Punk but their music and the fans that attended certainly didn’t reflect that.  In the crowd of mostly 20 somethings, I saw no spiked hair or studded belts, no leather jackets or military style boots.  Not even so much as a jacket with a Sex Pistols or Ramones patch on it.  Frankly, before any bands started playing, the packed room didn’t contain any of the usual “punk aggressiveness” or rebellious attitude either, but rather a calm and anticipatory energy filled the room.  People were pumped, but chill.  As hard as I looked I don’t think I saw anyone over the age of 30, and certainly not in the front row.   Gaslight Anthem has definitely taken a younger generation of music fans by storm.

Opener: Sammy Kay. By the time I arrived, New Jersey’s Sammy Kay was onstage, and by the end of the set, playing to a pretty crowded house.  Kay and his band played well enough to hold everyone’s attention and set the stage for the night, creating a nice, jovial energy in the building before the second opener, Northcote, hit the stage.

Opener:  Northcote. Nothing flashy or fancy here.  Just some good old rockin’ fun with Canadian born Northcote and his band who had the honor of warming up the Denver crowd right before Gaslight Anthem came on.  Matthew Goud, AKA Northcoat used his raspy, gruff vocals to get the sold-out crowd on it’s feet and moving early.  Both he and his band were obviously well rehearsed and super tight.  With his exceptional sounding voice, Northcote had me thinking several times I was hearing Bruce Springsteen up there on stage. The set was full of good vibes and fun songs and, once in a while, some of the audience members sang in unison with the band.

The Gaslight Anthem: Hailing from New Jersey, The Gaslight Anthem was fresh off a show in Utah and came to rock Denver as hard as they could on their current  “Get Hurt” tour.  Before they played the evening’s opening song, “Have Mercy,” the band made it clear you can still have a good time at an early in the week concert as frontman Brian Fallon told the crowd “You can definitely get pregnant at a Tuesday rock show.” Their adoring fans had no problem accommodating them and were primed and ready to have a great time.  As soon as the band hit the stage the Ogden faithful were cheering and yelling as loud as they could.

While the opener took the audience down a notch the band quickly brought the energy and pace way up choosing to play “Howl.”  After that, the crowd never seemed to stop moving to the rhythm unless the band played a slower song, in which case their most everyone would sing along with Fallon.  Fallon held the crowd in the palm of his hand most of the night,with his between song banter as well as bringing a gritty and intense vocal to every tune which mixed perfectly with the bands Indie Rock sound and groovy guitar riffs.  The acoustics in the room were especially terrific on this night and really pushed the band over the edge sound wise.

There were no insane or technical guitar solos and honestly no instrument really stood out, but together the band’s prowess on each instrument shows and really works tremendously as a whole  A lot of their onstage sound seems to come from the Indie/Alternative Rock side, like when they played “Handwritten” or “1000 Years” but they can get a little more of a Punk sort of sound going as well.  This was evident when they decided to cover the Misfits song “Astro Zombies,” which was a highlight of the show along with “High Lonesome.”

At this point in the tour Fallon’s voice is still solid and the band was full of energy throughout the entire 24 song show.  If you’re looking for a tight, high energy band with groovy, danceable guitar licks, and creative lyrics without all the flashy costumes and complex lighting, this is a band for you.

Energy:  A-
Musicianship: A-
Sound:  A
Stage Presence: B+
Lights: C-

Overall: B+

Todd Radunsky http://www.elitebandimages.com/

I work in the music industry photographing bands live and offstage for publicity. My work includes shooting concerts, festivals, and portraits of musicians and bands. I shoot for promoters, record companies, publicists, magazines, band managers, and individual musicians.

I also photograph weddings, and portraits and have traveled the world to do so. I've shot weddings in Cali, Ireland, Mexico, Cape Cod, and Amsterdam to name a few.

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