Bleachers bring their anthemic pop-rock “From the Studio to the Stage”, playing a fantastic show that leaves the Berlin crowd beaming and in dire need of a shower.
Two saxophones, anyone? A lead singer jumping around on stage, animating his fellow bandmembers to pour all of their heart into every song? Bleachers is the band for you! In Berlin’s Columbiahalle the New Jersey band around Jack Antonoff put their blood, sweat and tears into delivering a powerhouse of a concert.
It’s their first ever show in Germany, and it becomes clear that what distinguishes the concert is the synergy between the band and the audience. The crowd get the energetic yet soulful Bleachers they want. Bleachers get the crowd they want: vibrant and belting out lyrics in a way that would leave some stadium fan curves dumbfounded. It’s exhilarating and sweaty for both parties, with Jack Antonoff even breaking an earpiece only by means of his sweat.
The stage set up resembles that of a recording studio with a giant “Recording Studio in Use” sign hovering above the band. These are the ideal conditions for Bleachers to showcase what have always been about: creating a big sound, the basis of which is a low humming note on a Juno-6 keyboard. This sound, Antonoff explains, is the origin of Bleachers. You can hear it in the band’s very first song “Rollercoaster” and in every track since then. “Take it away, and there’s silence, there’s anxiety”, says Antonoff. Put it back in and there it is again: that deep, subtle yet powerful energy that encapsulates the bittersweet spirit of their music.
Throughout their entire discography, Bleachers have sought to break the silence, creating a soundtrack to love and loss, to hope and sadness, to grief. Their songs tell stories that take you back to your childhood bedroom, to moving out of your parents’ house, to driving down the open roads of your hometown. In this very much Springsteen fashion they go full force to turn their concert into a party to remember. And if you’re wondering what we’re celebrating, Jack Antonoff’s answer is simple: grief.