If the name Bleachers doesn’t ring a bell, the music of Jack Antonoff will.
Antonoff has been making radio waves in the music industry for the past 20 years. 2010s pop anthems like “We Are Young” and “Some Nights” were created in part by Antonoff in his time in the band fun. Fast forward a couple of years, Antonoff’s name is featured as a prominent credit on the likes of Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, Lorde and Clairo. His partnership with Swift is quite extensive, with work from as early as 2013 and as recent as Swift’s 2022 album Midnights.
This is not to discount his work as the lead of Bleachers, though. The band has amassed millions of fans as a reigning contemporary indie pop group. As such, the show’s setlist was impressive, featuring songs from Bleachers’ first studio album such as “I Wanna Get Better” and “Rollercoaster,” alongside hits from their latest album, Everyone for Ten Minutes, including “Sideways” and “The Van.”
The Hearst Greek Theatre stop on the “Bleachers Forever” tour played on the fact that Antonoff and team have spent so much time in recording studios, opting to welcome the audience into this normally unseen space: A plethora of instruments and sound equipment combined behind-the-scenes staples with the venue’s mise-en-scène, quite literally setting the stage for the immersive night ahead.
Each member of the band was separated for the performance of “Wild Heart,” mimicking the necessity of space that an actual studio would require. This separation was merely spatial, as the music united every member — both of the band and the audience.
The shared artistry unfolded further in the choreography as the band formed striking formations in between songs. During a performance of the song, “We Should Talk,” the group created a uniquely private moment: While broadcasting to the world a wish to reconcile, every band member immediately turned their back to the audience, creating a counterintuitive sense of privacy among them. The band’s closeness was evident with every little interaction, choreographed or not. There was an especially fun moment following “The Van” when the harmonica and saxophone were in conversation, playing against each other in a mesmerizing fashion.
All concerts aim to strike a balance between uniting fans, forming a space to bond over the shared love of music, as well as fostering that deeply personal connection each audience member has with the band. Bleachers succeeded in both regards.
The sea of people moved together, guided by the music and Antonoff himself. The crowd let loose any stress through dancing, swaying side to side and even climbing atop the shoulders of other people. When Antonoff highlighted one such pair, others scrambled to follow suit.
Especially excited fans got a unique moment to be in tune with the music with the performance of the band’s hit song “I Wanna Get Better” off their debut album. The song is a classic, upbeat and filled with such spirit that listeners can’t help but transform into energy incarnate.
Fans at the Greek got the rare opportunity to hear the song as it was written — stripped down and acoustic. Antonoff spoke frankly to the crowd about the song, sharing some insight into his process with this specific hit. “Sometimes you write a song, and you feel a lot of ways about the lyrics, and you want to mask them,” he explained, alluding to the typically upbeat tone of the released version. It was an intimate moment watching Antonoff, bathed in light, lightly singing and even trailing off during the titular lyric, especially when the audience is so accustomed to hear him shouting it. However, the fans did not miss out on hearing the song at its regular tempo, as the band played the song once more at customary energy.
There is a reason Antonoff has been everyone — from fun., to producer for major pop artists such as Swift and Del Rey to frontman of Bleachers. Antonoff’s talent and artistry follows every project he touches, and Bleachers delivered a concert that drove home that sentiment for fans.
