The Gaslight Anthem | Chicago, IL

A mere six months after announcing the end of their hiatus, The Gaslight Anthem stopped at the Riviera Theater in Chicago, IL as part of an extensive tour to celebrate their return to ‘full-time status’.

This leg of the tour saw Tigers Jaw opening the bill, taking the stage to a packed room. Playing a set mostly centered around 2021’s I Won’t Care How You Remember Me, Tigers Jaw ripped through a 45-minute set packed with as many songs as they could possibly fit in that timeframe. The band also debuted their new single ‘Old Clothes’ to one of the biggest crowd responses of the evening.

The Gaslight Anthem was up next, opening with Get Hurt bonus track ‘Have Mercy’ and fan-favorite ‘Old White Lincoln’. Vocalist Brian Fallon quickly went on his first of a few hilarious rants about his ‘evangelical mission - not for Jesus, but for pizza’. After offering to take three specific people in the balcony for a slice with himself and Bruce Springsteen after the show, the band continued an electrifying career-spanning set. Just over halfway through, Chicago Music Exchange’s Nathaniel Murphy was welcomed to the stage to perform a cover of Springsteen’s classic ‘I’m on Fire’ with the band. The evening came to a fitting close with a trio of career highlights - ‘American Slang’, ‘45’, and ‘The ‘59 Sound’. As the band walked off to guitar feedback, one thing was abundantly clear - The Gaslight Anthem is back, and all for the better.

Review by Jake Ciccotelli