Brand New & Glassjaw: Live in Philadelphia
Both bands delivered the goods at Philadelphia's Electric Factory
Nov 17, 2009 Nicholas Fehertoi
Outside the Electric Factory on this particular night in November, an eclectic mix of music fans were crowded around the steps, talking and smoking and ruffling their hair. There were skinny, brooding kids with glasses and cardigans next to heavily tattooed kids in gym shorts and hardcore pullovers and lots of teenage girls. Basically, it looked like high school, because that’s the kind of show it was.
Glassjaw
As the stage was being set up, dim lights illuminated the band’s signature colorblind version of the Puerto Rican flag as it hung vertically from the ceiling. It didn’t take long for them to take the stage and launch into “…John Lennon,” one of their new unreleased songs. It got the crowd going and, more importantly, sounded incredible. They went on to play tons of Worship and Tribute songs, ending with fan favorite “Siberian Kiss.”
For the entire set, Glassjaw sounded great. The bass and drums rumbled the floor and Daryl Palumbo’s throat-shredding screams had an echo to them that made them that much more menacing. Between songs he made fun of band mates and inquired as to how much time they had left only to come to the conclusion that “we’re chillin’, guys.”
Another thing that they had going for them was a tremendous stage presence. While the band stood in a circle as though it was just any old practice, Palumbo stalked the stage like a retching mutant. He pumped his fists in time with the drums and swung his mic like it was a medieval battle weapon. They cut imposing figures under the sparse yellow lighting, draped in shadows, adding more malice to the atmosphere of their already great performance.
Glassjaw Electric Factory Set List:
- You Think You're John F***ing Lennon
- Tip Your Bartender
- Mu Empire
- Ape Dos Mil
- Gillette Cavalcade of Sports
- Jesus Glue
- Two Tabs of Mescaline
- Pink Roses
- Siberian Kiss
Brand New
Immediately after Glassjaw finished, diehards began to leave the venue. Several unlucky meatheads were lost in the stampede and dragged back to the stage by their doe-eyed girlfriends who were anxiously awaiting the headliners. And wait they did, as Brand New tested audience patience by taking forever to come on stage.
When the band finally took the stage, the main reaction was probably confusion. There were two drummers and six members total. It was strange, but the band looked pretty cool on stage at first. The room was sufficiently foggy and there were lights on the ground and ceiling, trapping the band inside of jaws of light. However, their set lost steam in the middle, so much so that when there was no encore, nobody minded.
The most prevalent aspect of their set was how obvious it was that Jesse Lacey is unhappy that his audience is made up of chiefly of teenage girls. On most songs the chorus of female voices threatened to drown out Lacey’s, and he tried to remedy this/ alienate the audience by screaming the lyrics to mostly every song, both new and old. This put an interesting spin on their back catalogue of melodic tunes.
Overall, it was a great show, showcasing two of the most legendary and influential bands of the decade, and seeing Glassjaw was a rare treat: an older band that has made a full comeback from hiatus. They’ve retained all of their vitriol and bile while managing to not sound dated, while Brand New just sounds a bit confused. Nonetheless, for those nostalgic for the bands of their youth, look no further than this tour.
Brand New Electric Factory Set List:
- Welcome To Bangkok
- Sink
- Degausser
- You Won't Know
- Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don't
- Sic Transit Gloria
- Shower Scene
- Limo
- Vices
- Gasoline
- Sowing season
- Archers
- You Stole
- Jesus
- In A Jar
- Bought A bride
- Luca
- At the bottom
- Play Crack the Sky
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Another perspective on this same show
Jesse Lacey playing live
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