In what could be the band’s final salvo for West Michigan fans, the New York alt-rock/emo outfit offered up its own eulogy via dark, crowd-rousing songs. (Review, photo gallery)
Impending End? Brand New, which has hinted at disbanding in 2018, fired up DeltaPlex Arena Friday. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
Iconic band Brand New ushered in a chilly fall night by showcasing its brand of angst-filled indie-rock for a near-capacity crowd at DeltaPlex Arena on Friday.
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Following a set by Modern Baseball, fellow openers The Front Bottoms – who are no strangers to the Grand Rapids area having just played the Intersection in May – got the crowd’s singing voices warmed up with a rousing set, often blurring the lines of pop punk and acoustic folk in a seamless manner.
Mood-Setting: Brand New utilized smart lighting to set the milieu for its music. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
At times, it even seemed that this was a Front Bottoms headlining show the way the crowd sang along and cheered during the opening notes of every song. It was also abundantly clear why this band was chosen to open for Brand New.
Brand New has quietly become an anomaly within the scene that it helped birth back in the early 2000’s, growing in popularity and achieving a cult-like status with its rabid fan base.
Nothing about the band would ever be described as “normal.” Infrequent touring, coupled with no new music since 2009’s “Daisy” would usually cause even the most diehard fans to turn away.
It seems that such inconsistencies have added to the legend that is Brand New, and in turn, making each tour stop a must-see event.
With the Long Island natives’ self-imposed hiatus looming (the band has hinted that 2018 will be their last), the tour’s funeral-like procession has offered a nightly eulogy in song.
CRESCENDO OF EMOTION, ALLUSIONS TO DEATH
Launching into the recently released “I Am a Nightmare” got fans in the mostly filled arena on their feet, where they would remain for the next hour-and-a-half.
The opening of “The Quiet Things that No One Ever Knows” rang out in the darkness causing the crowd to erupt with glee from the first few reverb-drenched notes, boiling over into a crescendo of emotion during the refrain.
Opener: Modern Baseball on stage at DeltaPlex Arena. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
Speaking to its legacy, Brand New weaved in and out of its landmark album, 2006’s “God and the Devil are Raging Inside Me” playing it in its entirety.
Opting for a “less is more” approach, the set whizzed by with minimum stage banter, instead opting for loose jams between the band before segueing into the next song.
Somber fan favorite “Jesus Christ” set a mood that ached of melancholy over a minimal guitar line and simple drum beat while frontman Jesse Lacey evoked feelings of loneliness juxtaposed against his fear of the afterlife.
This song, like most of the band’s catalogue, elicited a huge reaction from the crowd, who often times were louder than the enigmatic frontman.
The use of an ancillary musicians helped fill out the band’s expansive sound and showcased its penchant for subtle nuance, while the light show added another dimension of depth to the music. Lush purples and vibrant blues bathed the room, creating a subtle brevity during some of the more ambient songs. Bright flashes of white would often accentuate the louder parts of the set.
Allusions to death also permeated the visuals: flowers affixed to microphone stands, a backdrop affixed with the dates 2000-2018 serving as unmarked headstones.
If this was to be Brand New’s last stop in Grand Rapids, the band demonstrated what inspired its fans for almost two decades: timeless songs with an edge of mystery, presented on its own terms.
PHOTO GALLERY: Brand News, The Front Bottoms, Modern Baseball
Photos by Anthony Norkus
