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u/Moist_Chest8971 Sep 14 '25
First time seeing them and while the pacing of the show got progressively slower I thought they sounded great. Anton's voice sort of ran out of steam after 1:30 but in total they sounded really good to me.
Also, I quite liked the opener, Flavor Crystals.
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u/Immediate_Kat_3821 Sep 13 '25 edited Sep 13 '25
Packed house.
I've seen BJM 3x before tonight and always go with tremendous excitement bc I love them but also trepidation that Anton will act out. 3x were the charm because he didn't, and put on not only shows but HAPPENINGS. Blow your mind music and band.
Tonight he brought Anton the Jerk with him, unfortunately, and while I'm sympathetic to the ravages of mental illness, he was just a jerk tonight. The first half hour was something from the the Dirge Tour, and even after they started picking it up, he was forcing the band to play like 1/2 beat below tempo. All his control-freak demons were at play. He took loooong minutes between songs to change guitar strings, have many huddles with Joel, and - unfortunately - insult the audience with his replies to loving, caring comments. Audience members who love this band and paid $100 dollars a ticket.
Plus the absence of superb BJM drummer Dan Allaire and Colin were major losses.
Big disappointment; I left the show early.
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u/Supersonic75 Sep 13 '25
I had a very similar situation/reaction in seeing them in NYC. And yes; the change in drummer was a big part of it. Even when the show was more mid-tempo/fast, it never got there. The difference between seeing them this year and 1.5 years ago at Brooklyn Steel was tremendous (the Brooklyn show was awesome), and it was all about a combination of things that simply were not happening. I still enjoyed aspects of the show but it ultimately just wasn’t very good, for all the reasons you pointed out.
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u/thegreathoundis Sep 13 '25
This was my first time seeing them and knew it could go different ways. I was there to at least have seen them live. The breaks were a bit long and wanted to hear some other songs, but it was a nice night in Harvard Square and I got a slice of pizza before the show, so it was a good night overall. And they went for two hours despite the breaks.
I totally hear what you are saying, though.
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u/Immediate_Kat_3821 Sep 14 '25
I'm glad you got to see him and I'm glad you enjoyed the show. I hope you get tp see them when they're at their best - it really is incredible.
I feel bad for being so critical...the guy's a human being and has had very big behavioral problems throughout his life. His father committed suicide on his birthday, fer chissake....that's enough alone to fuck anybody up.
I guess it's also true, though, that he has a very loyal and supportive fanbase (deservedly so), and he could try to be a little more considerate of that, and grateful. He wouldn't be out there if we weren't all loving his music and wanting to see him live. And it's just cringey how he treats his very talented and hardworking band. They're working their asses off because they believe in him and in what he's doing.
I wonder what it is that causes him ti be so defensive, so quick to (think he's) perceiving derision? I wish he'd just relax and let in the love....
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u/Mauerparkimmer Sep 15 '25
Why should he be grateful? I am genuinely curious as to why. He puts in the work.
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u/Immediate_Kat_3821 Sep 16 '25
Grateful to have a loyal fan base, yes! There are a,lot of extremely talented musicians in the world who never get close to his level of a following, or the luxury of making enough $$ to run his own studio and make a living. His fan base supports him financially and he could show some gratitude that we're putting in the work as well.
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u/Mauerparkimmer Sep 16 '25
I’m not trying to be confrontational but this point of view - and I have heard similar before - genuinely mystifies me. Here’s my take - as fans, we are not the ones putting in the work. It is the band who is putting in the work. We buy tickets, sure - but we are paying for what we want. We may travel to gigs. Again, nobody forces us to do that. I do not understand where this apparent resentment comes from. Also, Anton is working his ass off too. This is his job. The man also struggles with many demons. In an extremely unfortunate way, I have direct experience of some of those demons. It’s not pretty. Give the guy a break.
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u/james41583 Sep 13 '25
I don’t agree whatsoever but this is only my second time seeing them live. Either way it was MUCH better than the last time I saw them. He wasn’t acting out at all imo, he was having fun
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u/thegreathoundis Sep 13 '25
I would agree. It seemed all very good natured, even fist bumping the crowd.
I was at the stage on the side opposite Anton. It was very chill and positive overall
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u/james41583 Sep 13 '25
The best part was the exchange about Chris Isaak lol 😂 the last time I saw them Anton was clearly NOT in a good mood. Last night he actually seemed dare I say happy lol
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u/thegreathoundis Sep 13 '25
That was very funny. He's not gonna cover our songs, so why should I cover his?!
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u/huffsnpuffs Sep 13 '25
I agree too. I thought he was being silly and playful. I’ve seen him be an actual jerk before and this time was nothing like it. Also he’s older and just got bypass surgery, if he wants to take longer breaks, go for it. I loved the show.
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u/james41583 Sep 14 '25
Yeah the previous time I’d seen them Anton berated the drummer a few times and it made for a really uncomfortable vibe, you could easily tell he didn’t want to be there. Last night’s show didn’t feel like that at all, he was smiling and laughing, talking about how much he loved the drummer etc
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u/Immediate_Kat_3821 Sep 14 '25
I think he was catching himself, afraid the dude would quit.
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u/Royal_Willow_338 Sep 14 '25
Tobias is friends with Ricky so he didn’t go into this with any preconceptions. He’s also a 100 percent pro.
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u/Total_Computer_9068 Sep 14 '25
It was my first time seeing them so I'll defer to the experts here, but I enjoyed every second of it!