Concert Review: Bleachers - From The Studio To The Stage Tour
Photographed by Jessie Fuentes
Hitting a climactic peak on their From The Studio To The Stage Tour, Bleachers made their first East Coast stop headlining at the Westville Music Bowl in New Haven. Bleachers, spearheaded by New Jersey native and 6X Grammy-winning producer Jack Antonoff, elevated in 2023 with the release of their self-titled album “Bleachers”, blending 80s synth-pop with modern indie rock. With the help of talented instrumentalists and band members Evan Smith (keyboards, synthesizers, saxophone, vocals), Mike Riddleberger (drums, sampling pad, backing vocals), Mikey Freedom Hart (bass, guitar, keyboards, synthesizers, piano, vocals), Sean Hutchinson (drums, sampling pad, synthesizers, backing vocals), and Zem Audu (saxophone), Bleachers has created their iconic sound.
Opening the show was New York City-based singer-songwriter Samia, accompanied by her band. Samia’s strong yet subtle vocal delivery was magnetic as she performed many tracks from her 2023 album, "Honey," including “Kill Her Freak Out” and “Charm You.” A standout moment was her new, unreleased melodic ballad, “Load by Incision,” which carries a hypnotizing chorus. Certainly, it’s a track I am looking forward to the release of the studio version of. Though it’s clear she is still growing into performing for larger audiences, she was graceful as she shimmied across the stage, often looking to her band for support—a natural response to an intimidating position. While her vocals were beautiful, I wasn’t sure this venue was the best fit for her. I can envision her thriving in a more intimate setting than the Westville Bowl, where her sound would better fill the space and capture the audience's full attention. The bustling, baseball-game-like atmosphere before the main act wasn't ideal for her lighter approach. Nonetheless, I applaud Bleachers for selecting her as the opener; she fits well with Jack’s indie music tastes (e.g., Lana Del Rey, The National, Angel Olsen). I am looking forward to seeing her blossom further as she grows into her own.
Despite the short, delayed start due to a passing rain shower, Bleachers brought the house to their feet as they stepped into their on-stage “studio.” Kicking off with “I Am Right On Time,” “Modern Girl,” and “Jesus Is Dead,” the group couldn’t have picked a better selection to grab the crowd's attention. It was hard to look away from the performance, especially at Antonoff, as he frantically ran around the stage with his guitar, engaging directly with attendees in general admission. He was living so in the moment that his belt couldn’t keep up as he stopped multiple times to keep his trousers from falling. The focus was intense as my head turned back and forth to each member, especially Evan Smith and Mikey Freedom Hart, who I could tell were playing too passionately at the moment. It truly felt like the best block party ever. Continuing into “How Dare You Want More” and “Wake Me,” Jack’s father, Ricky Antonoff, joined onstage with his acoustic guitar, setting in stone that this tour is truly a family affair.
Photographed by Jessie Fuentes
As the dust settled, Jack moved into a short acoustic break, diving further into the importance playing in Connecticut had to him. As they were not playing in New Jersey on this tour, the New Haven show was the closest he would have to a “hometown” show. He explained how Connecticut played an important part in his growth as a musician as he played many smaller shows on his first tours at local music venue, The Webster, in Hartford. Many times throughout the show he made it clear he thought the state was “heavily underrated” and “deserved more credit overall,” a sentiment I agree with wholeheartedly. To hear someone with so much influence in the music industry say that about my home state was special and greatly impacted their influence on the audience for the rest of the night.
At the request of a lone fan hoisting a huge poster in the air, he played a snippet of “Margaret,” a beautiful ballad he sang, wrote, and produced with Lana Del Rey for her 2023 album, “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd.” The song is a passionate dedication to his wife, Margaret Qualley, which was fitting, especially for the newly engaged audience members. Together, the crowd softly sang, “When you know, you know…” as the seats lit up with flashlights. Lana said it best, “So if you don't know, don't give up / Cause you never know what the new day might bring”
Before returning to round off the tail-end of the setlist, Jack explained how the band didn’t like the cliche of encores, calling them “weird” and “awkward”, which I think is a fair way to describe it. So after a very brief break, Jack ran back to the stage and the band came back swinging playing a few of their biggest, most infectious hits like “I Wanna Get Better,” and “Don’t Take the Money,” bringing everyone, from the floor to the highest awning, to their feet one last time.
Catch Bleachers with Samia on the rest of the From The Studio To The Stage Tour, which continues in North America into the summer before going to Europe in the fall. Visit our gallery to check out more photos from the show!
