The Gaslight Anthem provides personality, intimacy

Wednesday night’s The Gaslight Anthem show on Oct. 14 brought live, loud, fast music to concert-goers at the National.

The night began with The Measure a basement, band from New Brunswick, N.J. The band was a genuine and likeable female-fronted group with great energy though their songs were easily forgettable.

Next in the lineup was The Loved Ones, a group not afraid to get down to the audience’s level. Front man Dave Hause talked and joked with individual members of the audience while swigging straight from a bottle of red wine. The Gaslight Anthem’s Brian Fallon described them as “the last truly dangerous rock band.”

After The Loved Ones came Murder By Death. They played a slightly more somber, down-tempo style of music. Some of their songs seemed largely depressing but the group managed not to bring down the mood at all. Their energy and musical quality still wowed the crowd. The combination of guitarist/vocalist Adam Turla’s baritone voice and keyboardist/cellist Sarah Balliet’s technique almost stole the show.

When “The Gaslight Anthem” banner unfurled onstage, there was unmistakable electricity in the air. The band took its position and launched straight into a string of songs from its latest album “The ’59 Sound.” Further into the set, Brian Fallon began to show his personality, chatting with the audience about the band’s tattoos, joking with his band mates and storytelling. Some bands script their banter, but this was an authentic, genuine engagement on the part of the performers.

Musically, the group did a great job replicating the album tracks, but what made the show most enjoyable and dynamic was the crowd’s response. Keeping true to their namesakes, a number of the songs were bonafide sing-a-longs that the audience was more than happy to participate in. There were even times when Fallon’s vocals were inaudible over the crowd’s contributions to the show.

Though The Gaslight Anthem’s set was mostly compiled of cuts from its two full length albums, during the encore, the group played three of the four songs from their obscure 2008 EP “The Señor and the Queen,” and covered Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker’s “Free Fallin’.” The audience became especially rowdy during those final few songs.

Throughout the concert, there was a sense of community among the crowd, a quality you don’t find at a lot of other shows. The kind of classic ’50s rockabilly infused with a tinge of punk rock, and the behavior of the bands, made it an incredible show. All of the groups contributed to a refreshingly intimate and personal feel despite the considerably sized audience. But in the end it was all about The Gaslight Anthem. Those Jersey boys really know how to please a crowd, and I highly recommend taking in a show if the opportunity ever presents itself.