Last weekend I completed a trifecta of shows – three in eight days (#THANKYOUWIFE). It started with The Gaslight Anthem at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago on Thursday, October 16th, who are touring in support of their excellent, if a touch ballad-y, new album Get Hurt. The New Jersey-bred lads have more than a little bit of Springsteen in them – a little edgier and a lot more punk though. The show was solid, if unspectacular – I think their previous show in Chicago a couple years ago in support of their third album, Handwritten, was better with more energy. A few days after the show, my buddy who I went with claimed that the band was supposed to play at least four more songs, but the Aragon forced them to quit early due to curfew issues – if true, a real bummer. Overall though, a good show – just wanted them to blow the top off a few more times.
Two days later, I saw Alkaline Trio play the Metro – the born and raised Chicago boys are one of my favorites and I’ve seem them play live probably around a dozen times. They never seem to disappoint and they sure didn’t on Saturday – always bringing high energy and typically flawless execution. The band was in the midst of a four-day run of shows (from Thursday thru Sunday) at the Metro that had them playing two albums from their catalog in their entirety each night. I was fortunate enough to see one of my favorite album of theirs, From Here to Infirmary, along with the underrated Agony & Irony. An awesome show, and a band I could see every night of the week.
Last but not least, last Friday, October 24, I saw We Were Promised Jetpacks at the Metro. The Scottish band was one of my first blog posts a couple years when I saw them after hearing their amazing debut album, These Four Walls (one of my favorite albums). They have since released two more albums since then and were touring in support of their third album, Unraveling, released a couple weeks ago. The Scottish blokes do not do the traditional two- or three-minute blast of a punk song, but rather like to incorporate extensive solos and what, to me at least, sounds like some off-the-rails improvisation. They have since added a fifth member, which simply adds a little more power to their stage presence. I continue to be mystified why the band does not have a larger following – the venue was probably, at best, three-quarters full. Regardless, I’ll hopefully be around next time they cross the pond to tour the States.
Clips from my favorite tunes from the shows – Gaslight’s “59 Sound,” Alkaline’s “Private Eye,” and Jetpack’s “It’s Thunder and it’s Lightning.”