Posted: by The Alt Editing Staff
New Jersey natives The Gaslight Anthem made a triumphant return to Boston this past week to support their latest album, History Books. This record, their first in nine years and their first since reuniting in 2022, represents a significant departure from their previous themes. It’s a bold new chapter for songwriter and frontman Brian Fallon, whose past songwriting has often explored melancholic themes, reaching a poignant peak with the profoundly personal Get Hurt in 2014, an album inspired by Fallon’s divorce. Eager to display a newfound optimism, the group found themselves at the MGM Music Hall in Boston, MA Sunday night.
Kicking off with a high-paced trio of songs, “American Slang,” “45,” and “We Came to Dance,” the band made it evident that fans were in for an authentic, gritty rock show. As is customary at Gaslight Anthem shows, the band quickly paced through the set without Fallon stopping often to banter with the crowd. The first new track that was played, “The Weatherman,” blended right into the setlist with the older material, as did songs such as “Michigan, 1975” and “Positive Charge.”
The band’s new energy and sense of life was displayed throughout the night with Fallon exuding a noticeable sense of joy on stage. Instead of a more serious and polished show, Sunday’s gig had a more casual, spontaneous feel, with Fallon improvising riffs and jamming with his bandmates. This approach made the audience feel more connected and engaged with the band’s live performance.
Towards the show’s end, Fallon invited rock bassist Karina Rykman, with whom the band worked on their latest EP, a follow-up to History Books. On the EP, Rykman joined them for a cover of Billie Eilish’s “Ocean Eyes,” the first song she joined the group for during their set. While it appeared Rykman intended to guest for that one song, she performed the remainder of the set with them, including Gaslight classics such as “Mae” and “Great Expectations.” The night ended with an unplanned cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” during which opening band Pinkshift came out to join Gaslight and Rykman.
The History Books tour is a treat for hardcore Gaslight Anthem fans. While they’ve always been a band to have fun on stage, Sunday’s show took on a much more improvised feel with the goal being to have fun and put on a muddy rock show for the band’s long-term fans. This leg of the History Books tour will run through mid-September and tickets for remaining dates can be found HERE.
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Kyle Musser//
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