Jack Antonoff has been a part of many collaborations over his storied career. Perhaps one of the greatest is his band Bleachers. On the 10th anniversary of the band’s catalyst hit, “Rollercoaster,” Jack brought his Grammy-winning genius from the studio to the stage for a sold-out night in Boston.
Supporting artist Samia was first to glide onto the MGM Music Hall at Fenway stage. Dressed in an oversized Bleachers t-shirt with her hand wrapped around a hot pink mic cord, the “Big Wheel” singer performed songs like “Pool” and “Kill Her Freak Out.” Her 10-song set was dovetailed by pitched-down pop culture audio featuring Adele Dazeem and Uncut Gems. Her performance was brought to a close by “Is There Something in the Movies?,” but not before performing her latest single “Honey,” which lingered sweet in the air as the audience sang “it’s all honey” back to her.
Illuminated by the glow of a “Recording – Studio In Use” sign, Bleachers transported fans from MGM back to their checkerboard-floored “studio.” Antonoff led the band through a spirited set that had the crowd jumping, waving their arms, and sitting on each other’s shoulders.
Since 2014, the alt-indie ensemble has created music that feels both modern and nostalgic with Juno synth and saxophone saturated tracks that make listeners feel like they’ve stepped into an ’80s coming-of-age film.
Under a collegiate banner emblazoned with their unofficial tomato mascot, Bleachers took the audience through all four of their studio albums, including their self-titled project, which was released in March of this year.
In between songs, Antonoff provided a glimpse into the sounds and the stories that are part of the fabric of Bleachers like the elements behind their hit single “Rollercoaster.”
For Antonoff, music has always been his outlet, “If I don’t do this, I don’t feel, literally, in my body,” he explained to the Boston audience. So while feeling lost living with his parents in New Jersey, he searched for a sound that he resonated with. While listening to Depeche Mode records, Antonoff wondered, “What is that f*cking sound that makes me feel alive?” It turned out it was the Roland Juno-6, which he immediately ordered from Malaysia.
Antonoff recalled, as soon as it arrived, “I plug in my headphones… I take my finger, I put it on the B flat, and I hear this,” he told the crowd as the familiar layered sound echoed through the venue.
At that moment, with his Beat headphones on, Antonoff had just found HIS sound. He recalled, “I thought, holy shit! That’s it, that’s it, that’s it…because that sound…it has darkness, but it has a little bit of hope.”
That sound that made Antonoff “feel alive” has not only given life to songs for Bleachers, but to everyone from Taylor Swift and Lorde to Lana Del Rey and Troye Sivan, and has created an undeniable electric energy that you can only experience at a Bleachers’ show.
However, this story isn’t just about Antonoff, “This is the story of everyone on this stage,” Antonoff acknowledged, as well as all the fans. “So when we look out, we see all of you from the very top to the very front. You’re not just a big crowd to us. We see everyone of you. It’s a miracle when people gather for something they care about…F*cking thank you everyone in this place!”
To be part of that crowd and to get your own glimpse over the producer’s shoulder, grab your ticket to the from the studio to the stage tour at https://www.bleachersmusic.com/tour/
