Review and photos by Jaida Berkheimer
On a warm late-summer night, millennial concertgoers from across Northern California slowly gathered in the Berkeley hills for Bleachers, the East Coast indie-rock outfit fronted by a man perhaps more famous for his high-profile producer credits: Jack Antonoff. As a lover of his work with artists like Lana Del Rey, Clairo, Lorde, St. Vincent, and a laundry list more, I was curious to see how he played his own music live.
I sped to the Greek from work to catch the early 6:30PM showtime as I had no plans to miss the opener: The Linda Lindas, an incredible LA-based punk band often depicted as cute little kitties. Despite the slowly filling crowd, the Linda Lindas melted the faces off all the unsuspecting people at the barricade. I feel sorry for everyone who came late — the high energy and high kicks culminated in an incredibly exciting set. Opening with their newer post-punk “Gotta Get Out,” all the way to their classic, gritty and heavy “Racist, Sexist Boy” to close it out.
By the time it was set for Bleachers to come out, the Greek had really filled out. I made good conversation with the people who camped out at the barricade, and they told me that when Frank Sinatra’s cover of “My Way” by Paul Anka plays on the pre-show playlist, it means that the band is about to come out. And lo and behold, when Mr. Sinatra starts to sing: “And now the end is near,” the fans-in-the-know began to scream and sing along as if the song were sung by Antonoff himself.
The band came out to the expected barrage of adoring fans, taking their spots among the different levels of what looked like a pseudo-recording studio, lined with analog tape machines and synthesizers. The set opened with “sideways,” my favorite off the album that this tour is for: everyone for ten minutes.” This beautiful, euphoric yet melancholic anthem set a beautiful tone for the rest of the show, not to mention Antonoff’s on-stage energy: erratic, high-octane, and deeply passionate. I could even hear him say, “Let’s do this, motherf*cker” under his breath between lines.
Throughout the set, I was continuously impressed by the ramped-up live editions of each song and Antonoff’s obvious love of music and performing. A big moment included the unleashing of a stage-wide banner proclaiming “BLEACHERS FOREVER,” flying away just as fast as it was unveiled. There was no time for a picture, but enough time to watch Jack stand facing it with his arms out, like a proud conductor.
You could feel the whole band basking in the moment, making multiple comments about how excited they were to play in Berkeley again after a few years, especially at the Greek. The magic of live music was in the air, sparkling in the mirror ball reflections, and floating in between all the girls lifted onto shoulders in the pit, as per Antonoff’s request. I walked away from this set reminded of how much I love their classic “I Wanna Get Better,” the iconic Tumblr alt-rock depressed yet hopeful anthem, screaming out the lyrics with everyone around me. Cathartic and saxophone-laced, the show came to a close with “Stop Making This Hurt,” and Antonoff telling us to say “goodbye like you mean it.” I walked out, breathless and shiny, with a new wristband once again proclaiming “BLEACHERS FOREVER.”
