Read previous – Shadow of the City 2021
Photos and words by Taylor Shields
Bleachers headlined the iconic Radio City Music Hall on Tuesday night, marking their largest ever show in New York City – a huge milestone in the band’s career, which has always felt more like a passion project of Jack Antonoff’s rather than an attempt at the more mainstream pop music he’s famous for producing. Playing such an iconic and historic venue as Radio City, it seemed fitting for the Bleachers frontman to call in a favor from none other than Bruce Springsteen himself to help celebrate the momentous occasion.
The show opened to a packed house with Antonoff starting things off with his last two album openers, “91” and “Dream of Mickey Mantle”, off 2021’s Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night and 2018’s Gone Now, respectively. Antonoff suddenly appears in the darkness, illuminated only by the glow of an old box TV prop, while he stares into it singing the lyrics of “91”, a song inspired by his own childhood and life experiences with grief, loss, and depression. The melancholy nature of the song provides the perfect juxtaposition for the 0-100 transition into “Dream of Mickey Mantle”, a more upbeat, percussion-heavy track about the brief moment of mental peace and clarity one tends to experience just upon waking, before the reality of life’s weight sets back in. Where “91” is full of loss and emotional baggage, “Mickey Mantle” is built on hope and dreams.
When it comes to Antonoff’s dreams, headlining Radio City with Bleachers is among the top. Also in that category, perhaps claiming the number one spot, is collaborating and performing with his New Jersey idol, Bruce Springsteen. The Boss is featured on Bleachers’ “Chinatown”, one of the first singles off their latest album. While Antonoff has been performing the track live since 2021, Springsteen had yet to join him, until Tuesday night. After segueing from a rendition of Tom Waits’ “Jersey Girl” (more widely popularized by Springsteen), Antonoff, without warning, welcomed Bruce to the stage.
From the deafening sounds of shock, joy, and pure mania filling the venue (followed by the iconic BRUUUUUUUUCE chants), as Springsteen entered stage right, the crowd did not seem to be expecting his appearance. Since the release of “Chinatown”, it’s always been a possibility. Plus, “I heard Bruce might show up” has become somewhat of a long-running joke in the New Jersey music scene. The Boss has been known to drop in at shows in Asbury Park, delighting the masses with a surprise performance. So, when that moment finally came on Tuesday for a sold out crowd at Radio City, you can imagine the reaction.
The Boss played a Gibson acoustic aside Antonoff and sang backup on “Chinatown” for the 6,000 incredibly lucky attendees. With the current uproar over the cost of ticket prices for Springsteen’s upcoming tour, which went on sale that same day, many in the crowd were aware of the gift they had just been given. Unexpectedly getting to see Springsteen perform at Radio City with Bleachers was a once-in-a-lifetime moment. It was a dream come true. Not just the audience’s dream, but Antonoff’s, who credits The Boss for his fundamental education in writing music that sounds like the place where you come from. With Bleachers’ horn section composed of Evan Smith and Zem Audu on saxophone, Antonoff’s fist-pumping energy as he gives his all in every performance, and giant inflatable tomatoes bouncing around the crowd, New York City couldn’t have sounded any more Jersey on Tuesday night. And for just this once, The Big Apple seemed more than okay with that.
You can check out the full setlist here and keep scrolling below to see more photos from the show.
