Rain Pushes ‘Shadow of the City’ Fest to August
Rain or Shine
Bleachers Move it Indoors to the iconic Stone Pony
Photos by: Dylan Sheridan (dylansheridanphoto)
It was May, and I had been thinking about going to Shadow of the City, but I already had other plans. Two of my good friends were having a joint birthday celebration, so I made the conscious decision to stay local and skip the show. Then suddenly, everything changed. The birthday celebration was postponed due to weather, and so was Shadow of the City. Surprisingly, though, Bleachers was still performing, just indoors at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park.
At first, I still decided not to go. My allergies were acting up, and I figured it just wasn’t meant to happen. Then I got a text from my buddy Evan. I happened to ask him about the show because I knew he was covering it. He called me, and when I picked up, he opened with, “Do you want to do me a favor that you’ll actually like?” I already knew what was coming. He was going to ask me to fill in for him at the show that night, and that’s exactly what happened.
After a busy day of work, I headed to Jersey with just under a full tank of gas. It felt like one of those nights where I simply had to go, especially as such a huge fan of the band. I found parking just behind the venue, made my way to will call, grabbed my wristband, and headed inside.
Boy, was it crowded. And I mean packed to the gills.
Bleachers
I found a fun photo booth in the back of the venue and snapped a few pictures before catching most of Bike Routes’ set. At one point, I stepped away to pay for parking, but the venue Wi-Fi wasn’t cooperating, so I walked outside to pay at a nearby meter instead. While heading back in, I ran into two guys hanging outside the venue: Will and Kevin. Will looked like he might’ve worked there, but really he was just another fan hoping to get in without a ticket. They were both incredibly nice, and before heading back inside, I told them, “I really hope you guys make it in. Hopefully I’ll see you soon.”
Back inside, I caught the rest of Bike Routes’ set and swam through the crowd until I somehow found an open spot near the center of the venue. A miracle, honestly.
As time passed, I became friendly with the people around me. To my left were Beks, Becca, and Jordan, all massive Bleachers fans from the area. Suddenly, I noticed someone trying to squeeze past me. I turned around and saw Kevin, with Will right behind him. They made it in. We celebrated their victory and started talking about some of our favorite concert experiences. Jordan said hers had to be either Kendrick Lamar or The Lumineers. Kevin said either The Who or The Killers. Apparently, he’s seen The Killers seven times, but Bleachers only once before.
Suddenly, “My Way” by Frank Sinatra started playing, and the band took the stage. They opened with “Sideways,” the first track off their new album, Everyone For Ten Minutes. The song surprisingly carried a similar feeling to “My Way,” making it the perfect walkout choice. They followed it with “The Van.”
I assumed they would play the new album front to back since it was technically an album release show, but then they launched right into “Modern Girl.” I wasn’t disappointed, just surprised. Maybe it sounds insane, but when an artist releases a new album, I want to hear the whole thing live. Of course I love the hits, but I also want to experience what’s brand new.
Jack Antonoff clearly knew exactly what he was doing with the setlist because the crowd was unbelievably interactive the entire night: singing, jumping, and throwing their hands in the air. Honestly, I haven’t seen a crowd that ecstatic since before COVID, which is wild to think about considering that was over six years ago now.
Standing there listening to hit after hit, it suddenly hit me that I was witnessing history. One day, I’ll probably tell my kids about seeing Bleachers play an intimate show at the Stone Pony after they had already become big enough to sell out Madison Square Garden. “How Dare You Want More” got one of the loudest reactions of the night, and Jack even brought out his dad for the performance. Personally, I was most excited when they started playing “Goodmorning.”
The Gone Now era holds a special place in my heart because that was the first time I ever saw Bleachers perform with a full band. Before that, I saw Jack play a solo acoustic set at Firefly Music Festival in 2016. During this performance, he stood on a box and played “Goodmorning” acoustically.
Naturally, fans expected Bruce Springsteen to appear during “Chinatown,” but he’s currently on tour in Boston. Hearing “You and I” and “Forever” ended up being huge highlights for me instead. Jack also brought out Jack Manning, a Grammy-winning producer he frequently works with. Later in the night, Annie and Hank, two locals who also happened to be Beks’ guitar teachers, joined the stage to help perform another favorite of mine, “Merry Christmas Please Don’t Call.”
At one point, Jack demanded that everyone get on each other’s shoulders. As soon as “Rollercoaster” started playing, Kevin tapped me on the shoulder and asked, “Do you want to get on my shoulders?”
I hesitated for a second, but then realized I could probably get some incredible shots from up there. I laughed and agreed. Will helped lift me onto Kevin’s shoulders, and suddenly I had the best view in the house, both of the stage and the sea of people surrounding us.
The final guest Jack brought out was Chris to sing “Tiny Moves.” After that came “I Wanna Get Better,” “Don’t Take the Money,” and finally “Stop Making This Hurt,” which honestly feels like Bleachers’ signature closing song at this point.
On the way out, we ran into a mother and her young son, Sullivan. He was wearing the same hat Jack wore on the Gone Now album cover, complete with his name bedazzled across the top. I asked him if he had a good time and what his favorite song of the night was. Smiling, he answered, “The Van!” I told him that was one of my favorites too before he and his mom disappeared back into the crowd.
After the show, Kevin, Will, and I headed to Low Dive for drinks and to keep talking about the night. It’s always cool making new friends at concerts, especially from completely different places. Kevin was from Jersey City, and Will was from D.C.
When we got to Low Dive, another concert was already happening. We caught half a set from a band called Preachers on the FM before sticking around for a few songs by Palm. Eventually, we wandered over to Georgies Bar for karaoke a few blocks away. I sang “Over My Head (Cable Car)” by The Fray, while Kevin went with “Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus. Honestly, it felt like the perfect ending to the night.
Everyone For Ten Minutes is out now by Bleachers. Their album tour begins June 5 in Chicago, and Shadow of the City has officially been rescheduled for August 28 at the Stone Pony Summer Stage later this year. It’s definitely a tour you won’t want to miss.
Words by: Dylan Sheridan