By Lindsay Christ, Managing Editor
On November 28, Long Island band Brand New returned home to play the Nassau Coliseum, closing up their tour. The concert was more like a music festival, with four opening acts and an acoustic stage reportedly set up somewhere in the Coliseum, though where it was remained a mystery.
On the main stage, Kevin Devine opened the show with a short but successful set. Next came Thrice. For a band that opened up two bands before the headliners, Thrice had quite the following among the crowd. Their most powerful song was “A Song For Milly Michaelson” from “The Alchemy Index, Vol. 3 & 4: Air and Earth.” Singer/guitarist Dustin Kensrue really let his vulnerability show during this performance, while showing off his vocal ability. They ended their set with “Beggars,” the title track from their latest album.
Glassjaw, another Long Island based band, play a set that was extremely loud if nothing else. If screamo is your thing, then this is probably your band as nearly none of the lyrics were song below a high pitched growl. Their drum kit faced the side of the stage which was good for stage left, but probably dissapointed those on stage right. Overall, Glassjaw’s most redeeming quality was that their merchandise was a hell of a lot cooler looking than Brand New’s.
Finally, after much anticipation, Brand New took the stage. They opened with “Welcome to Bangkok,” from their 2006 album “The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me,” and artfully segued into “Sink,” off their new CD “Daisy.” They went on to play an hour and a half set consisting of eighteen songs. Nevertheless, the set seemed much shorter, as the band mesmerized the crowd. During a majority of the songs there was a backdrop that played different video clips. These clips ranged from pioneer-like towns to eerie children holding knives to my personal favorite, two cats boxing.
A good deal of the songs were from “Daisy,” but the Brand New did not forget to play songs from their past. When they played “Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t” and followed it directly with “Sic Transit Gloria… Glory Fades,” both from their 2003 album “Deja Entendu,” the crowd’s energy level intensified. However, the audience went wild when they closed the show with “Seventy Times 7,” from their first LP “Your Favorite Weapon.”
It is quite a feat that a band that gets little to no radio play could fill out the Nassau Coliseum. Brand New definitely has a strong Long Island fan base that is proud of their hometown band, and very well should be.
Brand New made a hometown appearance on Saturday at the Coliseum (Photo Courtesy of interscope.com)
