Live Review: Bleachers Put On An Explosive Performance At LA’s Greek Theatre

From producing records for some of the biggest artists in pop music today such as Lana Del Rey, Sabrina Carpenter, and of course, Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff seems to always be working in the studio, having three consecutive Grammy Awards for Producer of the Year since 2022 to show for it. With such impressive music credits under his belt, it is a mystery as to how he manages to find the time to work on his own music as well as tour with his band, Bleachers. But if there’s one person who can pull it off, it would be Jack Antonoff. And judging from the title of Bleachers’ current tour, From the Studio to the Stage, there doesn’t appear to be anything else he does besides live and breathe music. 

Formed in New Jersey in 2013, Bleachers is an indie-rock band masterminded by pop-music producer, Jack Antonoff. From its inception, the Antonoff-led project has been known for its lyrical themes of loss, anxiousness, and constant desire for growth through its huge choruses and twangy guitars. Influenced heavily by the sounds of Bruce Springsteen and other heartland-rock acts, listening to Bleachers feels like a nostalgic dream wrapped in a blanket of American-made blue jeans. 

While at its core, the recordings are predominantly composed by Antonoff, the stage is where Bleachers comes to life. Altogether, there are six members of the live band, Zem Audu, Mikey Freedom Hart, Sean Hutchinson, Michael Riddleberger, Evan Smith, and Antonoff, all of whom play multiple instruments on stage such as drums, synthesizers, guitars, and saxophones. And this current tour showcases how strong of a unit this iteration of the band truly is. From softer tracks like “Chinatown” and “Me Before You,” to the upbeat, flashy cuts like “Don’t Take the Money” and “Modern Girl,” this crew of musicians can take these deeply personal and sentimental songs to a whole other level. 

After the European leg of the tour, Bleachers headed straight for the West Coast to perform a few shows in California, including a two-night residency at the legendary Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. On the first night, September 21st, singer/songwriter Amy Allen opened the show. In a similar vein of Gracie Abrams or Lizzy McAlpine, Allen performed a handful of folk-tinged pop ballads providing a mellow ambiance to begin the concert. 

Once the clock struck 9PM, the speakers began blasting one of the bonus tracks from the newest, self-titled Bleachers record, “Drug Free America.” It’s a buzzing track with a steady drum machine prominent in the mix with Jack’s vocals soaked in autotune as he repeats the refrain, “This is your brain on drugs.” As the track finished playing, the band made their way on stage and the crowd began to roar. 

The stage lights illuminated and revealed a distinct Jack Antonoff looking straight up at a “Recording: Studio In Use” sign hanging just above. The stage design resembled a recording studio, hence the name of the tour, with black and white checkered tiles, instruments in every corner of the stage including two drum kits, a set of symphonic chimes, some keyboards, guitars, and probably the most important instrument of the night, saxophones. The setup held the illusion that the band simply took everything they were working with in the studio and packed it up to haul around on tour. 

The first three songs of the setlist were from this year’s release, Bleachers, starting with the first track “I Am Right On Time.” In a cool, leather jacket, Antonoff made his presence known, running around on stage, even at one point singing from atop a white, upright piano. The leather jacket did not stay on for long as the song, “Modern Girl” was up next. Jack grabbed his Gretsch Princess guitar and performed his heart out. If there’s one thing apparent about Jack as a performer, it’s that he plays every show as if it’s last. 

Although Antonoff isn’t what one may consider a typical rock star, he sure plays the part with boundless energy flailing all across the stage and swinging his guitar around like he’s trying to use “Star Power” in Guitar Hero. At times, Antonoff may seem eccentric for some, but his immense passion for music is so contagious, it makes it easy to cheer for him. 

The other members on stage matched Jack’s energy shredding on their respective instruments, adding a bright, full sound to each track. From guitar solos, blaring saxophones, and a rumbling Juno synth serving as the backbone for a majority of the music, this is unequivocally the best Bleachers have ever sounded. The musicianship, the charisma, the fluency in which they perform together; this show is Bleachers at their very best. 

There were plenty of highlights from this Greek Theatre show including Jack’s dad, Ricky Antonoff playing guitar on “How Dare You Want More” and the entire crowd screaming “Take the sadness out of Saturday night” on a Saturday night during “Chinatown.” Hearing the line “the day Kobe fell from the sky” from “Self Respect” in an open-air venue in Los Angeles hit too deep, but made from a very memorable moment. 

Possibly the biggest surprise of the night was the reveal of a brand new stage piece to the tour. After “Let’s Get Married,” the backdrop fell unveiling a replica of Jack’s room in Electric Lady Studios. The historic recording studio in New York was the birthplace to such timeless records as Stevie Wonder’s Talking Book, Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland, Patti Smith’s Horses, and endless more. Essentially Jack’s second home, Electric Lady Studios has become his office space where he has worked tirelessly with artists such as St. Vincent, Clairo and Kevin Abstract. 

In an attempt to honor his countless hours spent recording and producing music at Electric Lady, this replica not only looks like Jack’s actual room with the artwork on the wall and similar furniture, this stage piece also serves as an actual working studio. The equipment included in the stage piece functions as if it were a part of the real-life Electric Lady Studios allowing Jack to record live from quarter inch to tape every night. 

Sitting on the couch in the room, Jack performed two acoustic songs, “91” and “45.” Both tracks fit the setting a little too perfectly as Jack sang, “I’m here, but I’m not / Just like you, I can’t leave.” Watching Jack perform these songs, it felt like being a fly on the wall taking a glimpse of what his work ethic and process looks like in the studio. Aside from being aesthetically pleasing, having a functional recording studio on stage is a unique concept and makes every show special as Jack performs different songs in such a raw, unfiltered manner. 

The set rounded out with a couple of big singalongs including “I Wanna Get Better” and “Don’t Take the Money,” with the final song of the night, “Stop Making This Hurt” from the 2021 album, Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night. In true Bleachers fashion, the show ended with dueling saxophones as Jack and the band exited the stage. There was no encore because Bleachers is a band that doesn’t believe in them and would rather leave it all on the stage the first time around. 

With this Greek Theatre performance, Bleachers established that the stage is where they thrive. The studio may be the place where the initial spark is formed, but the stage is where the real magic happens. And being able to share this moment with a crowd of 5,900 people under the beautiful Los Angeles sky is the best way to take the sadness out of any Saturday night.

Setlist

1. I Am Right on Time
2. Modern Girl
3. Jesus Is Dead
4. How Dare You Want More
5. Wake Me
6. Everybody Lost Somebody
7. Goodmorning
8. Call Me After Midnight (Acoustic) 
9. Me Before You
10. Chinatown 
11. Don’t Go Dark
12. Self Respect
13. Wild Heart
14. Rollercoaster
15. Let’s Get Married
16. 91 (Acoustic)
17. 45 (Acoustic)
18. Ordinary Heaven
19. Tiny Moves
20. I Wanna Get Better
21. Don’t Take the Money
22. Stop Making This Hurt