Shadow of the City 2024 // Bleachers Live in Asbury Park, NJ
I'll take you out of the city, right into the shadow 🍅 I recently had the best time seeing one of my favorite bands, Bleachers, live in Jack Antonoff's home state of New Jersey! This year marked the sixth Shadow of the City event, which is always held at The Stone Pony's Summer Stage in Asbury Park, NJ. I grew up going to Asbury Park with my family and have seen a couple of shows inside the legendary venue, but I have never seen a show outside at their bigger Summer Stage. I have also never been to a festival like this before, so it was very exciting that this was my first!
Shadow of the City is a festival founded by Jack Antonoff and is usually held just about every other year or so. His band, Bleachers, is always the headliner but there were also several other amazing artists that played throughout the day too. When the event was announced, it was just Bleachers on the lineup, with the rest of the artists being announced much later. Some of the artists that were eventually announced I was a fan of prior, while others were new to me. This was such a great way for me to discover great new artists, all of which were mostly also based in the Tri-State area. It was such a great lineup and a beautiful day by the beach!
Just outside the entrance to the venue was an unassuming little shed that houses Jack Antonoff's actual bedroom. He first started traveling on tour with his childhood bedroom in 2017 in support of Bleachers' sophomore album Gone Now. At the time, he called it a "moving, living art installation". This bedroom was one of the main sources of inspiration when making that album for him. He created this installation in an effort to be able to be able to fully enter the next chapter of his life, while still freezing a bit of his past in time forever. "It's a bit literal but the only way I was going to fully move on and live what I'm trying to live on Gone Now was to remove this room and freeze it. It speaks to how badly I want to enter the next phase of my life and how impossible it is for me to let go of what's gone," he wrote in a statement in 2017. "Every lyric and note I have ever written has come from the room I grew up in."
This is the exact room he lived he lived in until he was 27 in New Jersey. He packed it all up, the walls, the rug, all of the posters, CDs, stickers - everything in his childhood bedroom was removed and put into this space exactly as he left it. "I learned to love music in there was I was 10 - wrote my first songs in there when I was 12 - started recording and having band practice in there at 13 - had all my relationships there - started touring and would come home to this room - wrote all the Steel Train songs in there - started Bleachers in this room while Fun was getting bigger and I was still living there". This is also where Bleachers' first album, Strange Desire, came from, as well as Gone Now, which serves as a major point of inspiration throughout the entire record. "Gone Now is about moving on and how we can't take it all with us. when I thought about where this album was coming from and what it’s kissing goodbye I thought of this room," Jack continued in his statement.
Gone Now is one of my favorite albums ever and to be able to be inside of the space where so much of it was created in and inspired by was one of the many highlights of the day for me. My dad and I were among the first to go in when the doors opened, so it was really great to kick off the day with this! I loved being able to go inside and see all of the little details throughout, from the old Steel Train flyers, the books, the records of the floor - it was all really awesome to see up close!
Since the Gone Now tour, it rarely makes appearances at shows other than for Shadow of the City events. I have been wanting to finally see it in person for so many years!
There was a great lineup of bands throughout the day, some I was a fan of prior and others that were new to me. It was also such a beautiful sunny day, the weather couldn't have been more perfect and everyone working at the Stone Pony was so wonderful as well. The lineup was made up of friends, collaborators, and influences of Jack Antonoff. A few of the artists on the lineup are also signed to Dirty Hit, which is a great independent UK record label that I have discovered a lot of great artists through over the years. Bleachers recently signed to them last year and Jack created his own subsidiary label called Shadow of the City through them as well - all of which is really exciting to see!
The first act of the day was a band called Been Stellar, which is an up-and-coming alternative rock band from New York. They released their new album, Scream from New York, NY about a week after I saw them live and have really been enjoying it!
Grace Ives was next up, she was the only artist on the lineup that I didn't get a chance to listen to prior, but her set actually ended up being among my favorites of the day. Her musical style reminded me a lot of Lorde at the start of her career, which is an influence that I loved hearing shine through. I am looking forward to diving into more of her work in the future!
I first heard of Bartees Strange through his work as a guitarist and co-producing some of my favorite songs on the latest self-titled Bleachers album. "I Am Right On Time" in particular is one of my favorites Bleachers has ever released, so I was really excited to check out more of Bartees' work. He also had a great cover of "Figure 8" on Paramore's Re: This Is Why album recently too. I have been loving his 2022 album Farm To Table over the past couple of months and am so glad I got to see him perform live! He sounded absolutely incredible! He even played a song that is set to be coming out soon that he and Jack worked on together, which I'm looking forward to hearing again!
The Wonder Years is a pop-punk based band from Lansdale, PA - which was cool to see since I'm not too far from that area in Pennsylvania myself! I wasn't familiar with their music prior, but they had great energy and were so fun to watch perform!
Samia is an artist that I feel like I've heard about forever, but only just recently started listening to. She was also the opener for all of Bleachers shows on this leg of the tour. I was happy to be able to see her at Shadow of the City because she actually was one of my favorites of the day! Samia and her band sounded really great and I was so blown away by her vocals! I have been loving her 2023 album Honey lately and even recently bought a copy of it on vinyl - it's a really cool pressing that I definitely want to highlight in a future post. If you're a fan of Phoebe Bridgers, I think you'll really enjoy Samia's work too!
The Japanese House was the second to last act of the night, right before Bleachers. I have been a fan of Amber Bain for so long and was so excited to see her included on the lineup. I first discovered her sometime around 2017 when her song "Saw You In A Dream" was released and I have loved her music ever since. She works a lot with George Daniel and Matty Healy of The 1975, who produced much of her most recent album In The End It Always Does. George is one of my favorite producers and I have loved hearing him work with other artists outside of The 1975 over the years. I have been really loving her latest 2023 album, especially now that it's summertime - it just feels so right to listen to it this time of year.
The sun was just starting to go down when The Japanese House came on and it made for the absolute perfect setting to listen to it in. The photos I took of the band were among my favorites I have ever taken because of that gorgeous golden hour backdrop. Hearing "Sunshine Baby" at sunset was so incredibly beautiful and one of my favorite moments from a concert ever. It was so stunning, I truly couldn't imagine a better setting to hear those songs in. She also played her new song ":)" before it was officially released, which was so cool to be able to be there for!
I also bought a special signed vinyl by Amber at the merch booth, which I will absolutely be sharing more of in a separate post soon! I love having it in my collection and have been spinning it non-stop ever since! I absolutely look forward to seeing The Japanese House again soon!
And lastly, what we all have been waiting all day for - Bleachers! They were the final act of the night just as the sun went down. I loved all of the other bands that played throughout the day, but I was there especially to see Bleachers perform and it was well worth the wait. It was such a perfect way to end an already amazing day. I was able to work my way up to a really good spot in the crowd, maybe only about 10 people back or so, and right in the center! It was well worth standing there for probably 5+ hours for in the direct sunlight!
This is my first time seeing a Bleachers show since 2022 when I got to be front row at Radio City Music Hall (which is still something I can't believe really happened!). I have been looking forward to seeing them again and have been waiting for this day all year. Shadow of the City also marked the last show of the From The Studio To The Stage Tour. This event was such a fun way to the end this run of shows!
They opened with "I Am Right On Time", which is also the first song off their latest album. It's one of my favorite songs ever and not only beautifully sets the tone for the album, but also for this live show. The entire setlist was so perfect, they played pretty much all of my favorite songs of their discography, and I loved every minute of it! The crowd was so electric the entire show, which always adds to the experience too!
All of the music Jack makes with Bleachers is definitely very rooted in New Jersey and to be able to hear all of these songs in the place that is so deeply engrained in it is such a special experience. This show felt like such a celebration of the entire Bleachers journey thus far by coming back to where it all began!
"Modern Girl" is a song that I have been looking forward to finally hearing live ever since it was released last year! That song is so much fun and represents everything I love about Bleachers and their live shows into one song. Especially in a setting like that it was just so electric - if you have ever been to one of their concerts before, you will know the unmatched energy their shows exude every single night. There is nothing else like it!
The shirt I made to wear to this show was inspired by my favorite lyric from "Modern Girl" too - I spent many many many hours bedazzling "New Jersey's finest New Yorker" and I really loved how it turned out! I'm also so lucky to be seeing New Jersey's finest New Yorker in both New Jersey and New York this year - it is such a great year for concerts for me!
The next song was "Jesus is Dead", which is a song I have a whole new appreciation for after hearing it live. "Lets make it Bleachers, make it shore" has never felt more perfect to hear than on that beautiful night next to the beach! Plus the saxophone solo from Evan Smith is so incredible too!
"How Dare You Want More" is forever another favorite, especially live. He also brought his dad out to play guitar on this song which was so fun! They also played some of my favorite songs from Gone Now back-to-back; "Everybody Lost Somebody", "Goodmorning" and "I Miss Those Days". "Lets Get Married" is another that is so electric when they perform it live and one of their best. I have listened to those songs countless times, that album is truly one of the greatest ever.
I loved hearing a lot of their newest self-titled album live for the first time, as well. Their live shows always sound so different than the studio versions, so it is really a whole new experience listening to them live for the first time. "Call Me After Midnight" being performed acoustically was such especially a unique take on the studio version. Songs like "Me Before You", "Self Respect" and "Ordinary Heaven" were all so memorable to be able to hear live for the first time. Their latest album really feels like the start of a new chapter in a lot of ways, and I love hearing that translate into every aspect of the music.
Toward the middle of the set was an acoustic section of the show, with just Jack and his guitar performing and talking to the crowd. He made this massive crowd of thousands of people feel so small and intimate in those moments. He played some of my favorite songs ever acoustically, which I will never forget. It felt like he added some of them to the setlist on a whim at that moment, which made it even more special. "91", "Dream of Mickey Mantle", and "45" are three songs that I will truly forever be changed by and was so happy to hear them performed live in this way. Those songs have always been so special to me for so many reasons, but especially because of the amazing memories I have attached to them.
Jack performed both "91" and "45" acoustic when I saw him for the first time ever on the rooftop of Electric Lady Studios in 2021, which was truly the best day of my life and an experience I will never forget and never stop talking about. I got to meet him that day too and will always look back on that day with the greatest of memories. At that time, "91" wasn't even officially out yet, so every time I hear it now, I am immediately brought back to that amazing summer day in New York! "Dream of Mickey Mantle" is a song I similarly have such a strong connection to that has only grown as the years have gone by. I shared a similar sentiment when I wrote about the last show I went to, but that is the song that really solidified my love for Bleachers and will forever love it for so many reasons. One of my favorite lyrics ever also comes from "Dream of Mickey Mantle": "All that hope I had when I was young, I hope I wasn't wrong".
It's hard to believe it's been ten years since the very first Bleachers album, Strange Desire, was released too! I have a full anniversary review here if you'd like to check it out! All of the songs they played from that album are always highlights for me. From "Wake Me" to "Wild Heart" to "Rollercoaster" and "I Wanna Get Better" - all of those songs are just so incredible and truly some of the best moments of the set. "I Wanna Get Better" was one of the last songs they played, which I love so much. It is such a special song and the crowd screaming all of those words together is such a powerful thing to be able to witness and be a part of. The guitar solo at the end is so wild every time too! It was the first song Jack ever released as Bleachers and to this day it feels so representative of the band's mission statement, the thesis of all their music that was to come after.
They ended the show with four of my favorite Bleachers songs ever, fittingly enough one from each of their four albums. Just before "I Wanna Get Better", they played one of the best from their latest release, "Tiny Moves". That song is pure joy, I can't even begin to express how much I adore it. I have always loved the way Jack has been able to capture small moments of life and turn it into something so much more.
"Dont Take The Money" is the first song that I ever heard from Bleachers where I fully discovered my love for the band! To this day, I still love it just as much as I did then - if not even more! It's a song that holds so many memories and so much meaning for me, for years I dreamed of the day I would finally get to hear it live! Hearing it live now for the second time is still so surreal to me! Jack also jumped into the crowd at the end, which was so so so much fun!
"Stop Making This Hurt" was the perfect closing song, it literally took all of the sadness out of my Saturday night! Before the song started, Jack changed into his iconic "Welcome to New Jersey, now go home" shirt, which was such a funny moment! I love this song so much and it was the absolute perfect way to end the night.
My first Shadow of the City was such an unforgettable experience! I am already looking forward to the next time I get to see Bleachers later this year at their first show at Madison Square Garden! I would love to one day go back to the Stone Pony for another Shadow of the City event too! It was such a wonderful day in Jersey with amazing music all day long. What a great way to end the From The Studio To The Stage Tour! Bleachers shows are just pure joy every time, everyone on stage and everyone in the crowd is just so full of energy and excitement from beginning to end. I think that pure happiness really shines through in all of the photos I took that night. This day really meant so much to me, they are truly the greatest ever. If you haven't seen Bleachers live yet, you must see for yourself! 🍅
Thanks for reading! I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below! I have written many other posts about Bleachers in the past which I would love for you to check out, linked here and below - with many more to come always! Bleachers forever!!
All photos are my own!
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"I Wanna Get Better" // Bleachers 10 Year Anniversary
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