On Saturday, Oct. 17, CUB, TCNJ's student activities board, brought the alternative band, Bleachers, to the school for the fall concert. Many students didn't know anything about the band. When asked about it, a student told me that they "had no idea who the band is," and that they were "unaware of any of their music."
However, I had Bleachers's entire debut album downloaded onto my iTunes library and I knew most, if not all, of their songs. So of course I was super excited to hear that they were coming to perform at TCNJ. I couldn't wait to see them live. And I was not disappointed.
The band was unbelievably good in concert. First of all, they sounded amazing. Playing an array of keyboards, soundboards, drums, and guitars, the music sounded the way it was produced on the album. They sang almost every track from their album, including two cover songs and a new song, and everyone sounded just like they do on the record. Jack Antonoff, the lead singer (also known as a band member of the band Fun), is filled with so much energy and charisma. He's constantly moving around on stage, jamming with his bandmates, jumping to high heights, or gesturing at the crowd. He really engages the audience too, yelling at them to shout words back at him or clap their hands to the beat.
The show was interspersed with bouts of talking, and there was just the right amount of it so that it wasn't too lengthy or drawn out. Jack mentioned that he loved playing college shows because he'd never gone to college, and he told the crowd that he was born and raised in New Jersey. He also cracked a couple of jokes about TCNJ, which were all well-received.
The energy in the venue was pretty high, and the entire show was engaging and exciting. They really knew how to get the crowd pumped up and participating in each song. During one of the last songs, Jack introduced each of the other band members and let them each have their own instrumental solo. He also battled it out with a band member, guitar versus saxophone. The crowd went wild.
Overall, Bleachers was a great concert experience, possibly one of the best small shows that I've ever been to.
Plus, after the show, Jack tweeted these really awesome things about TCNJ.
