Gaslight Anthem show in Portland 7/2012

The Gaslight Anthem, bar none, has been my favorite band for the last few years.  I decided that, as they were playing a show in Portland, OR, and I hadn't seen them for quite some time... I needed to go.

Due to my foot having some tendonitis issues, I took the bus from Spokane, WA to Seattle.  Met up with a couple of my best friends and stayed the night in Black Diamond.  The next morning we went on an adventure, like we usually do, and drove up to Mowich lake.  Spent some time walking (and crutch hopping) around the lake that was surrounded by a couple feet of snow.  

Picture of the lake I took with my phone (sorry for the poor quality):

Then it came time to get back to my friend's place, grab my stuff and head to Seattle.  I had factored in a good 15 minutes of spare time to catch the bus; however, Seattle traffic posed a bit of a problem, and I narrowly made it to my bus destined for Portland.  Fortunately it all worked out, and I had a few minutes to spare.

The concert was amazing!  I seemed to do okay on crutches, with the exception of stepping on some lady's foot.  (If, for some reason, you happen to read this... I am really, really, really sorry.  :(  I hope your foot is okay and that you won't need crutches!) Gaslight played an epic show, like always, along with all of my favorite songs.  With the exception of a couple, but I was okay with that.  The energy of the show was as good as any Gaslight concert I've been to, and Brian Fallon (lead singer) also did some talking and shared a couple stories, which was fun.  They also played a few new songs from their upcoming album "Handwritten."  I'm excited to say this will be released on July 24th...or 15 days from now.  :)  One of the new songs they played was, "Here Comes My Man," which is written from a woman's perspective.  Brian talked about how the band has always been labeled as "The Working Man's Band," and how some people might wonder, "Why did you write a song from a woman's perspective?"  But, lyrically, the song is quite amazing, and as always, Brian never ceases to amaze.

A picture from the concert I took with my phone...  (again, sorry for the poor quality, but it's proof that I was there!)

Overall, it was a great weekend, and seeing my friends, along with my favorite band, made the 20 hour (round trip) bus ride worth it!

Set List (in order of play) included:

Great Expectations
Casanova, Baby!
Old White Lincoln
Even Cowboys Get the Blues
"45"
Diamond Church Street Choir
I'da Called You Woody, Joe
Angry Johnny and the Radio
Biloxi Parish
Film Noir
The Patient Ferris Wheel
Senior and The Queen
American Slang
The Queen of Lower Chelsea
Here's Looking at You, Kid
Backseat

Encore:
She Loves You
Here Comes My Man (new)
Blue Jeans and White T-Shirts
Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?
Wooderson
The '59 Sound
Baba O'Riley (The Who, cover)