bleachers
Express Live, Columbus, OH
September 15, 2021
Better late than never!
I went with my pal Josh to see Bleachers at Express Live last week (oops it is now nearly three weeks later). While I thoroughly enjoyed Jack Antonoff’s ranting and raving about how much better Columbus is than Cleveland (If Katie Kornmiller is reading this I’d recommend Jack enter Witness Protection), seeing Josh’s reaction to a real-life rock concert was the highlight of my night.
I apologize because I can’t tell you shit about the setlist. What I do know is that the show was very good! Jack Antonoff is a savant of some sort, having worked with many notable artists including Lorde (jury’s out), Clario (big yes) and of course, the one and ONLY, Taylor Swift (re: two of the tattoos on my body). It’s obvious why his work with these women is so popular: they bring the storytelling and he turns it into “August.”
I remember being a sophomore in high school when “I Wanna Get Better” first came out. I listened to an embarrassing amount of AltNation and even though I knew Antonoff played a large part in 1989 I wasn’t sold on why I should add him into my (very limited) rotation.
Seven years later I feel the same way despite Antonoff’s participation in many projects I enjoy, so I knew very few songs in the setlist. However, Jack is quite the performer and the band was so outstanding that the songs I didn’t know I wish I had. Also I love that you can tell he’s been bottling up all his ADD level energy for the past two years and really just let it pop.
The band was very, very good. He was accompanied by not one, but TWO saxophones that were more than enough to keep my attention (I just love a brass/wind section, truly. It is why I fuck so deeply with Away From The World by Dave Matthews). I didn’t know the opening song, but I believe he followed it up with “Let’s Get Married’ which I sort of knew and was fun to dance to.
I was/am a big fan of “Chinatown Girl” so I was excited to hear that one. While I wasn’t expecting an appearance from the Boss, he was there in some facet. Antonoff’s music is very obviously rooted in Springsteen, having grown up about an hour south of Asbury Park. Similar to how I can’t exactly explain what makes Springsteen’s music sound like Springsteen, I can’t tell you why Bleachers sounds like Springsteen. Did Springsteen have a xylophone on stage? Bleachers didn’t, but I feel like this is an integral part of Springsteen rock for some reason. I plan to consult my Aunt Mary on this sometime soon, she is the definitive Springsteen expert.
I appreciated going to this show because even though I didn’t know a lot of the songs, you could tell Jack was appreciative everyone was there, and that we were able to be going to concerts again. I’ve been to a decent amount of shows where I have felt very invasive, like how dare I enter this space that is so sacred for some people. But Antonoff and his whole band created a safe space for everyone to dance and be themselves, and that’s really beautiful.
As I get older I become more aware that experiences aren’t exclusive to one set of people because of how it makes them feel. Even if someone doesn’t know all, or any of the songs, that doesn’t mean they’re any less worthy of being there (@ me). Especially when you consider how a song can be different every time you hear it. Music in general is a deeply personal experience, but Jack has a way of making the entire crowd feel catered to. Which to me is very rock and roll.
See my comprehensive 2021-2022 show season playlist below.
