Bleachers 'Take The Sadness Out of Saturday Night' on Final U.S. Tour Date of 2021 Tour

After kicking off their tour with their 'Shadow of the City' festival on September 11, Bleachers concluded the U.S. leg of their tour with a sold out show at XL Live in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on Saturday, November 6 produced by Harrisburg University Presents.

Jack Antonoff has become an icon of creativity in the music scene over the past decade for his songwriting and producing work for artists including Taylor Swift, Lorde, Lana Del Rey & countless others. However, during this time Antonoff has maintained a very special project of his own in the form of Bleachers. His band burst onto the alternative charts in 2014 with their debut single "I Wanna Get Better" and since then hasn't slowed down with touring or new music. While Antonoff is no stranger to touring from his years with FUN, Bleachers shows are uniquely different as they are widely regarded as some of the best live experiences in the industry. Bleachers are fresh off the release of their third album 'Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night' and this tour was the first chance the band had to get in front of crowds for a long time due to the pandemic altering plans for 2020.

The sold out crowd in XL Live made possible by Harrisburg University Presents on Saturday night was a physical manifestation of the band's musical diversity as there was only one single type of person in the crowd - Bleachers fans. A line for the merch table snaked itself around the venue from the moment doors opened, by the end of the night very little merchandise would remain as nearly the entire crowd could be seen wearing Bleachers merch from all era of the band. The band's multiple truck stage set up barely fit into the intimate venue as it spilled off the sides and the drum risers nearly touched the ceiling. Anticipation swept through the crowd as fans began sharing stories from previous Bleachers experiences on this tour, previous and even a lucky few chatted about their MTV Unplugged filming during the 'Gone Now' tour cycle at the Stone Pony.

Shortly after 9:30PM the moment had arrived as sage was burnt on the stage prior to the lights going dim across the venue before slowly flickering back on as Jack Antonoff and Bleachers appeared on the stage for a dimly lit and stunning version of "91" to start the evening. Following the slower paced start to the show, the stage burst to life following the song as Antonoff sprinted to his the front of the stage with microphone in hand to get the crowd moving early with the high energy "Let's Get Married." Evan Smith and Mikey Hart flanked the sides of the small stage but their locations didn't slow Antonoff down as he ran between, through and even over them at times when he wasn't at his microphone stand with his guitar.

The comparisons that can be made from the band's current touring production to something of the golden age of touring in the 80's and 90's are seemingly endless. At first glance the entire set up screams Springsteen with Antonoff clad in his vintage leather jacket and boots at the front of it all but a closer look at touring history shows how much Bleachers are rooted in a gone by era of music that they have re-invented for a new generation. Whether you look at classic sources like Depeche Mode or Duran Duran or contemporary counter parts like Robyn and Grimes - Bleachers' music and live performances bleed with artistic passion (and of course the stories of Antonoff and his New Jersey influences.)

Bleachers' lengthy set at XL Live produced by Harrisburg University Presents gave the band a chance to spotlight a wide range of material from their catalog dating all the way back to their debut album 'Strange Desire.' Fans were responsive to the surprise addition of "Alfie's Song," a single the band recorded for Love, Simon, early in the set. Fans of the band would be hard pressed to ask for a better setlist as Antonoff and the band took the sold out crowd on a musical journey for almost 2 hours. The venue grew hot, the windows were fogged and everyone was sweating by half a dozen songs in - Antonoff went as far as lovingly calling the crowd "feral" to a roar of approval.

The blessing and curse of a masterwork performance such as the one Bleachers delivered at XL Live and produced by Harrisburg University Presents is that there become too many special moments to highlight. Whether it was the impromptu acoustic FUN sing-a-long in the middle of the set, the surprise fan requested appearance of "Day Man" from Always Sunny, the insanity of the crowd during "Rollercoaster" or the ripping saxophone of "Everybody Lost Somebody" - there was a moment that will last a lifetime for everyone in their memory from the performance. 

There is no denying Jack Antonoff is a generational talent when it comes to musicianship - his legacy will far outlast many of his peers and Bleachers is a large part of his musical story. His passion for the project is infectious and the fans have developed the same love for his music as he shares while performing it. XL Live and Harrisburg University Presents have hosted dozens of alternative concerts since their opening in 2019, they all pair in comparison to the crowd, show and experience that Bleachers brought to the intimate venue.

It's hard to guess where Bleachers will go from here - whether it is another tour, album or something unexpected there is no denying that their fans will be there following them to the edge of the earth. After over a year of struggle, sadness and stress for so many people Antonoff delivered on his promise and took the "sadness out of Saturday night" in Harrisburg and added another chapter to his living legacy of artistry in doing so.