I think that I got my yearly quota of blue collar, anthemic punk music Saturday night at the Cabooze; maybe enough for a couple years, actually. For a cynic like myself whose first instinct is to cry bullshit when bands pull out their “heart on their sleeves” routine, it was a telling experience that enabled me to realize not only how connected people are with these bands, but also that this type of music is simply not for me. The crowd, at least up front, was packed with kids with facial piercings and band T-Shirts (Flogging Molly, Green Day and Rise Against seemed to be the most popular) who sang along to every word of the every song, often with eyes closed and fists clenched, thrusted high into the air. While this kind of devotion to a band has always seemed slightly strange to me, after experiencing the energetic and fan friendly bands that comprised the night’s lineup, I can at least see the reason for the feverish dedication. While the crowd may have gone slightly overboard, the bands played short, concise sets that came across well, even to people like me who didn’t know all the words to every song.

There were three openers for the headliners, and all three played strong sets that brought something different to the table. Frank Turner started the night with his charming, rousing punk folk (he actually has an album titled Campfire Punkrock) that featured Turner alone on stage, armed only with his acoustic guitar. His songs sounded like a less rabble-rousing version of the Pogues and there was a general pub feeling throughout his set.

Next up were Hold Steady disciples the Loved Ones. The four piece band made up for some of the generic pop-punk sound that infused many of their songs with boundless amounts of energy and plenty of fan interaction. This peaked with the band sharing their whiskey and wine with the fans (one lucky recipient being an excited underage fan with giant x’s on her hands). The group shared the headliners’ love for charging music with a flair for Boss-like showmanship, but ultimately didn’t measure up as the band came through with a slightly disappointing set.

One nice thing about the night was that there was short sets and the crew hustled between bands to minimize the wait. Up third were the Illinois-based trio Murder by Death, who played a great half-hour set of their rustic, ominous gutter folk. Lead singer Adam Turla’s voice had a rustic—sort of Nick Cave—sound to it that meshed well with his apocalyptic story telling. One of the highlights of the set was Turla’s stinging solo take on the Nancy Sinatra song “Bang Bang,” which sounded epically dark with just Turla’s rich baritone and hollow body guitar. The band had the most unique set of the night and showed why their diverse, powerful sound has drawn them so much attention over the last few years.

Finally, after two and a half hours of music, the evening’s headliners finally took the stage. The Gaslight Anthem, still touring behind their excellent record The ‘59 Sound, played a powerful 70 minute set that showed me a band that really deserved the outpouring of devotion directed towards them. Starting with a searing version of “High Lonesome,” the band tore through their set with reckless abandon. Lead singer Brian Fallow was the consummate showman throughout the set. In addition to playing rhythm guitar and singing his epic punk-meets-Springsteen songs, he joked with the packed crowd throughout the show. Being most familiar with their latest album, the songs from that album were the highlights of the set for me. From “Old White Lincoln” to “Great Expectations” to “The ’59 Sound,” which caused one of the biggest stirs in the crowd, the band sounded tight and confident throughout the set. They mixed in older material and a few covers, but it was the songs from their stunning 2008 record that really took off live and found the band reaching their peak.

After seeing three bands with passionate kids singing along to every word throughout the night, I was less than surprised with the immensely emotional response that the Gaslight Anthem got from the crowd. All four bands’ energy was matched by the crowd and each showed glimmers of why they had gained such dedicated fans. In the end, the bands probably could have shown up and played acoustic covers of Ace of Base songs to this crowd and gotten a hero’s welcome, but each added a unique wrinkle to the show that ended up making for a solid night of music.

The Gaslight Anthem: Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
Murder By Death: Official | Twitter | MySpace | Wikipedia
The Loved Ones: Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
Frank Turner: Official | MySpace | Wikipedia

Also: Frank Turner “Try This At Home”