Jack Antonoff brings the full Bleachers band in return to Philly
Back in April, Jack Antonoff played Free At Noon solo as Bleachers. But over the weekend, he brought the full Bleachers band — and even his dad — for a barnburner of a show at The Mann, with Austin-based indie rock duo Hovvdy supporting.
Bleachers | Photo by Danielle Ciampaglia for WXPN
On a beautiful summer night, Jack Antonoff and his band Bleachers took us from The Mann to New Jersey. Walking out to Sinatra classic, “My Way,” the six piece band kicked off their show in one of their favorite cities to play.
Bleachers’ brand of Jersey Rock is very Springsteen-esque. They have two saxophonists, and no personal space. Every song includes the band members laying on one another, seemingly as a mid-song comfort, and perhaps a reprieve post.
The intimate friendship of the band members was matched by the intimacy of the stage set up. Designed like a vintage recording studio, there were different levels of the stage’s various levels were stitched together by dark wooden steps, allowing the band to ascend and descend at will. Despite the stage’s massive size and design, something about it still felt — at times — like we were looking in on a scene as opposed to being treated to a rehearsed show.
This is a band full of instrumentalists, and at any given moment they were switching and swapping gear. Some songs had two percussionists, others had three piano parts, and the rest had two saxophones. Some songs even saw Antonoff playing lonely harmonica solos, climbing the steps to the top platform to sing under a spotlight while his friends hung out underneath him.
During “How Dare You Want More,” Antonoff brought out his musician father Ricky Antonoff. He came on stage wielding his acoustic guitar, with a stage presence that must have passed down from him to his son. It was also during this song that the younger Antonoff took to the barricade between the GA pit and the seats, playing his guitar above the crowd.
Before the end of the show, the crowd started putting people up on their shoulders.
“At a Bleachers show, you’re either holding someone up or you get held up,” Antonoff said as he watched it happen. Bleachers is a band of showmen who care about making sure every show they put on is a show.
