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The Gaslight Anthem Proves To Be Solid, As Always

By Katie Karpowicz in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 4, 2013 5:00PM

There is nothing overtly exciting about The Gaslight Anthem's live shows. There are no bells, whistles or gimmicks — just steadfast, wholehearted rock and roll done right. Friday night at the Riviera Theatre was no different.

The members of The Gaslight Anthem are as blue collar as it gets. This is a band that makes good music likes it's their job. After coming up through the punk scene and citing the influence of Bruce Springsteen along the way, playing sold-out shows to theater-sized venues like the Riv is just another successful day in the office. That's not to say they aren't having any fun doing it, though.

After four albums, fans are finding the benefits of following a band that consistently puts out solid front-to-back LPs. Though they made sure to include fan favorites like "American Slang" and "Great Expectations" at Friday's show, there aren't many songs Gaslight Anthem could have played that would have been a bummer to hear in place of something else.

Songs off the band's most recent album Handwritten sounded spot on—from the rock-heavy "45" to the slow burners like "Mulholland Drive." Again, Gaslight Anthem are professionals, and they work just as diligently on stage as they do in the studio. This was why it was so unexpectedly hilarious when lead singer Brian Fallon's guitar fell starkly out of tune just as he strummed the opening chords to "Here Comes Your Man," causing the band to stop and start over.

The Gaslight Anthem are no strangers to Chicago in recent years—playing Lollapalooza twice and Riot Fest's inaugural Humboldt Park festivities last year—but it was nice to hear them in a theater setting for a change and they opened the set up to softer, less festival-friendly tracks like "Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts."