(Notice: this show and all other IMP shows [Anthem, 9:30 Club, Lincoln Theatre, and 9:30 Club Presents at U Street Music Hall] between March 12 and March 31 were postponed. The rescheduled date is July 17th. For more info from IMP, please see here.)
The untouchable Brian Fallon is touring in advance of his upcoming album, Local Honey, and the second night of his tour brings him to the Lincoln Theatre.
Let’s get this out of the way: I love Brian Fallon and you’re not getting an objective preview here. His former band, The Gaslight Anthem, is one of my favorites; his solo albums are some of the best post-band breakout albums ever; his songwriting is great; and he seems like an amazingly nice, genuine, funny guy too (if stage banter and Twitter are to be held as truth…)
That out of the way… Fallon’s solo career has produced two albums that lean in the direction of thoughtful rock n’ roll, whether pop-rock, country-rock, rock n’ roll, acoustic, singer-songwriter, you name it. He is everyman with a guitar. This is something of a departure from his earlier career, and yet… it isn’t. The songs have the same DNA – good hooks, clever lyrics, universal storytelling – but the packaging is toned down from the punk aesthetics of earlier. Listening closely, you could hear these songs dressed up in different ways, knowing that they would be good songs no matter what.
The first two albums, Painkillers and Sleepwalkers, are under the radar hits, with songs like “Long Drives”, “Smoke”, and “See You On The Other Side”. Past shows have focused on tracks from these two albums, as well as songs from one-time side project, The Horrible Crowes (I don’t recall ever hearing Gaslight Anthem songs). But for this show, expect at least a few songs from the soon-to-be-released Local Honey (March 27; Lesser Known Records). Songs have been dropping the last few weeks, tracks like “You Have Stolen My Heart” and “21 Days” and “I Don’t Mind (If I’m with You)” – all new songs that sound new but also sound right within the Brian Fallon style.
I’ve never seen a bad show out of this guy. If you see him this Friday at the Lincoln Theatre, you’ll be able to say the same. Caveat – he tends to talk a lot between songs. I find it funny. If you don’t like that… you may not consider the show “perfect,” but it will still be good.
Tickets are $35 (March 13 tickets will be honored). Get them here.
Doors are 6:30pm, show starts at 8pm. Justin Townes Earle, Worriers open.
“21 Days”
A DC Journey 