CONCERT REPORT: Brian Fallon at The Space

 

Brian Fallon at the Space in Westbury, Oct 2018

Following the string of dates his band The Gaslight Anthem played over the course of 2018 might seem like a tall order for singer Brian Fallon. But since their hiatus began in 2015, he has been quite successful developing his own following, including some people who weren’t familiar with his band at all. So any worry of alienating Gaslight fans surely quickly disappeared, as he’s been able to stay on the public’s radar through two albums now.

CONCERT REPORT: The Gaslight Anthem 2018 Reunion

The Gaslight Anthem at the Stone Pony, August 2018

2018 was a big year for fans of the Gaslight Anthem. After playing their last show as a band in 2015 and going their separate musical ways, the faithful held on to the hope they might get to see their favorites together once again some day, or at all in the case of those who discovered them after via Brian Fallon’s subsequent solo career officially began in 2016. Well, they were granted their wish when the band announced tour dates would actually happen to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their album “The ’59 Sound”, which catapulted them into the public eye back in 2008.

CONCERT REPORT: On The Run II / Beyoncé and Jay-Z

On The Run 2014 was a tour for the ages. With a format that saw the power couple together and apart at various times during the night, featuring brilliant segues between each of their individual sets and a heartwarming finale, one left the show thinking that evening could never be matched. So when it was announced there would be an On The Run II tour in 2018, it was natural to wonder “What will they do THIS time?”

CONCERT PHOTOS: Rise Against with AFI

Punk Rock took over when Rise Against came to town with AFI and Anti-Flag, helping America let off some steam as the end of Summer loomed ahead.

CONCERT REPORT: The Struts in New Haven

The Struts performing at College Street Music Hall, New Haven, CT

The Struts are a UK band steadily on the rise in America, and have only released one full studio album that is now 4 years old, "Everybody Wants." That record is chock full of Pop Rock with a twist of Glam, earning comparisons to the great Cheap Trick and Queen. They're a throwback while still being fresh and original, thus allowing them to avoid being categorized as a copycat. Frankly, if they're good enough to open for the Foo Fighters, Rolling Stones and Mötley Crüe, then they are good enough for this concertgoer. Those bands have surely seen many young bands try to break out in their travels, so for the Struts to be handpicked out of a sea of hopeful Rock torchbearers is saying a lot for their credibility musically and performance-wise.

CONCERT REPORT: Dave Hause & The Mermaid cruise the East River (PHOTOS)

Dave Hause & The Mermaid playing on board the Cosmo (June 2018)

Upon first hearing that one of my favorite acts, Dave Hause & The Mermaid, was going to be playing a Rocks Off Cruise, I was a bit nervous. The idea of coupling a great show with the anxiety of being late for fear the venue would leave without me along with the possibility of motion sickness did not sit well with me. But I decided to give it a shot anyway. If I've learned anything from concert junkie life, it's that most of the time, it's worth it to plow past fears of the unknown to get to the good stuff.

CONCERT REPORT: Papa Roach - April 2018 (PHOTOS)

Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach performs in Huntington, NY at the Paramount (April 2018)

Papa Roach's April run was a headliner, which is always welcomed. Given the fact their fans already know to drop everything for a Roach show, and they surely also attracted new faces from their time on the arena tour with A Day To Remember the month before, it's not surprising most of these shows sold out.

CONCERT REPORT: Royal Blood's 2 night stand at Brooklyn Steel

Royal Blood's Mike Kerr basking in the cheers of Brooklyn Steel as drummer Ben Thatcher crowdsurfs back to the stage

(photo by Lorraine Schwartz, May 29, 2018)

Royal Blood played a two night stand at Brooklyn Steel a few weeks back. I was lucky enough to get into both nights, and I can't wait for them to return.

CONCERT REPORT: Papa Roach - March 2018 (PHOTOS)

This past March, I caught a bunch of Papa Roach's East Coast dates with A Day To Remember. As per usual, I was curious to see ADTR's crowd reactions to Papa Roach because much like the Rise Against show in December, the two bands are very different. Papa Roach has often managed to get themselves on bills of all kinds, including the still-confusing tour with 311 back in 2005. So they're used to a challenge every now and then. But the good news for them is that they always rise to it and walk away from these shows with new fans. Their March dates were no exception.

Most of the crowd knew their biggest single,  one of the most famous hits of the 2000s/TRL era, "Last Resort." These days, even though TRL does not have anywhere near the influence it did back then (I'm not even sure exactly when it airs now), it would be difficult to find a Rock fan who does NOT know that song thanks to YouTube. But what impressed me is that this crowd, who in some cases, are half the band's age, knew even the most recent hit. "Help", off 2017's "Crooked Teeth" got a big cheer when singer Jacoby Shaddix announced it was the next song they were going to play. This shouldn't have been a surprise, as the song has done very well according to Billboard. This should be comforting to a band that has been in the spotlight for so long they've outlived many TRL bands, still manages to win new followers.

My photos from March can be found here:
Baltimore
Allentown

CONCERT REPORT: Ben Nichols (Lucero) and Jared Hart at Crossroads

Ben Nichols at Crossroads, Feb 2018

Jared Hart at Crossroads, Feb 2018

Crossroads is a small venue that has become more and more popular with the Jersey scene lately, partly because of (or mostly because of) the dynamo that is Andy Diamond. Fans of The Gaslight Anthem will know his name from their 2010 song "The Diamond Church Street Choir", but since then, his name has become associated with many fantastic concerts in the area. After the sad departure of Asbury Lanes, fans of artists like Brian Fallon, Dave Hause, The Menzingers, The Scandals and upcoming headliner The Lawrence Arms, have found a new home at Crossroads because of Diamond's efforts.

Recently, Diamond brought Ben Nichols of Lucero out to play a solo show (with Crossroads staple Jared Hart opening up). Nichols doesn't play by himself out on the East coast as much as he does with his band Lucero, so this appearance was a special treat and naturally sold out pretty quickly. Lucero diehards took up the front row, shouting along with every lyric as they do at a full band show, as well as Hart fans who were there mainly to see him, but stuck around to see the legendary Nichols. The audience was mostly male, as one man pointed out in the back hall in line for the bathroom that "There's never a line for the ladies room at a Lucero show", to which his friend replied, "Yeah. They're only here to drive us all home afterwards!"

Without a band, Nichols still brings a lot of energy though he's just a man and his guitar (with some liquid courage at his side). Being solo allows him more time to stop and chat to the crowd between songs (sometimes during a song!) about anything ranging from lyrical motivation to being a new Dad to a precocious little girl. Nichols actually brought the two worlds of fatherhood and music together by playing a hilariously charming song written about his daughter Isabelle's shenanigans. It's not likely that it will end up on a record, but should he change his mind, it would probably be a big hit with their fans like it was with the crowd that night. You can check out video of that song here.

This was a show I'm glad I did not miss. It was a more challenging night than usual on the Garden State on that stormy night, but worth the hydroplane-braving and dodging crazy drivers to be there. It was nice and cozy in Crossroads, with heartwarming music from both Hart and Nichols.

To check out my photos from the show, click here.

CONCERT REPORT: Rise Against hometown gig (PHOTOS)

Zach Blair of Rise Against at the Aragon Ballroom, November 2017

To continue my wrap-up on WKQX's holiday show, The Night We Stole Christmas...

Rise Against hails from Chicago, so this gig was surely a highlight for them as well as me. I love seeing a band play their hometown because there's always a special vibe in the air. Being hugely successful, having toured all over the world, I would imagine there is nothing like coming back to your city and be reminded of how far you've come. Plus, instead of jumping back on a tour bus to hit the road to play to a room full of strangers, you can simply hop in your car and go home! Which is what I witnessed firsthand after the show, when bandmembers left the building. But not before stopping to talk to their loyal fans who waited outside in the freezing cold, knowing at least a few of them by their names upon first sight.

I've seen Rise Against quite a few times since my first show of theirs in 2007 opening for the now, sadly, defunct My Chemical Romance. Their ferocity and energy had not slowed down at all 10 years later. If anything, crowd response seems to have gotten even more intense as songs that were new back then are now classic favorites like "Prayer of the Refugee", "The Dirt Whispered" and "The Good Left Undone." Newer hits like "Satellite" and "Help Is On The Way" also made the cut as well as songs off their latest record, Wolves, "The Violence" and "House On Fire."

One thing about Rise Against is they will never shy away from expressing their feelings about what's going on in the world. Tim McIlrath took to the mic to say that, to him, it's "common sense" to say "F**k homophobia" and xenophobia, showing support for human diversity instead of demonizing it out of fear. He also openly declared that it's also "Common sense to say f**k Trump", which was met with deafening cheers right before going into "Savior." Bands like Rise Against are needed the most in times where people seem to be trying more than ever to censor anyone who doesn't agree with the current administration.

To check out my photos of the show, click here.

CONCERT REPORT: Papa Roach in Chicago (PHOTOS)

Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach, Aragon Ballroom 2017

I finally had a dream come true when I not only got to finally spend some time in the great city of Chicago, but also got to see a fantasy bill I never thought I'd witness: Papa Roach co-headlining with Rise Against. Not only that, it was a hometown gig for Rise Against at a venue I've always wanted to see in person, the Aragon Ballroom.

Aragon Ballroom is unlike any other music hall I've ever been to. Instead of the standard setup of a stage facing an open floor and multiple rows of a balcony, you feel like you're looking out onto some sort of plaza under a night sky in a Van Gogh painting. Words can't do it justice, so here's a photo found in a Google Image search:

As usual, Papa Roach rocked the whole room. At first, I was a little bit nervous because their style of music is so different than Rise Against's furious punk tunes that often get political. Papa Roach is a heavy, futuristic, pop-infused metal (but not Pop Metal mind you). I hoped the Rise Against fans would be receptive to them. Since RA was closing the show, that meant the odds are that the population in attendance was most likely made up of mostly their fans. But there was no need to be worried. There were lots of Roach shirts in the crowd and they knew the words to more than just the early TRL hits, which lately includes "Help", off their current release, Crooked Teeth.  Crowd response was especially great for another Crooked Teeth song, "Born For Greatness." With it's aggressive bouncy intro, it's hard not to be hooked right away into the anthemic, inspiring tune.

Due to the crazy schedule that ensued right after this early December show, I'm a little bit backed up editing the rest of my photos from that night. But they will be posted soon! In the meantime, here are a few from Papa Roach's set that night: