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Atlantic City, NJ [Borgata Hotel And Casino] — The Music Box is a smaller theater at the Borgata. It is one of the nicer places to catch a concert on the East Coast. Although Jet’s latest album has not been released, they are already out on tour.
The Paper Tongues was the first band to take the stage. They are a seven piece band (Aswan North, Devin Forbes, Cody Blackler, Joey Signa, Clayton Simon, Jordan Hardee and Danny Santell) with face-to-face keyboardists. It is really a stage show that has to be seen. The lead singer announced, “This is the first time we’ve ever played a theater.” The sound levels were not quite right; nevertheless, they ripped it up with some gangster style rock. I Won’t Let Go, Move To California and Everybody were among the songs they played. Their record label A&M/Octone says, “Paper Tongues plays for the people. Fusing massive rock n’ roll melodies with fiery hip hop beats, the Charlotte band conjures an infectious, incendiary sound….” Keep your eye out for this up-and-coming band.
Next up was Automatic Fire. Their website says they are from Philthadelphia. Actually, they are comprised of two long-time favorite Philadelphia bands — Silvertide and Pepper’s Ghost. This combination has a driving rhythm section, searing guitar and vocalist with a wide range. When asked why they didn’t include Failed Parachute in the set, they replied, “We just couldn’t work it in with our live sound.” Their live sound is tight and hard. The drummer, Brian Kilian, spent the last five years playing country music in Nashville, but you could never tell. Together with his friend from high school on bass, Brian Weaver, they were a driving force in every song. The guitarist, Rob Bennett, was in Pepper’s Ghost. His on stage presence reminds you of a young Jimmy Page. Add to this mix a lead singer, Walt Lafty, with a effervescent personality and it is like a champagne bottle popping its cork. In fact, at one point in the show, Walt went over and poured his beer on to the snare drum. It looked great from the seats. (Biran Kilian later told me it was a bit sticky on stage. “Luckily, there is a backstage shower.”) Their set included Whipping Boy, When Are You Going to Wake Up, Push, Snitches, Pipe Bomb, What Are You Made Of?, and Take Me Away. Their MySpace credits read as follows:
Walt Lafty (Vocals/stage leaping)
Evil Rob (Guitars/noises and all around sound guru/Backing Vocals)
Brian Weaver aka BMW (Bass/low end manipulation/groove maker)
Brian Kilian (Drums/percussion /groove maker)
Then, it was time for Jet to take over. They started off with the first single from their forth coming album, KIA. It got the crowd jumping. Lead vocalist and guitarist, Nic Cester, invited the crowd to get out of their seats and come on down to the stage. With everyone on their feet, dancing and singing, the place was jumping. It was not long, though, before you could see the security guards bustling about. After the next song, Nic interrupted, “I’ve only got two things to say. First, whoever picked out this carpet is a real dick. Second, the Fire Marshal is a real dick. He says you have to go back to your seats.” This got a good laugh and didn’t suppress the crowd’s enthusiasm. All continued to stand and sing.
The sound in the Music Box is perfect and there isn’t a bad seat in the house. Chris Cester’s credits list him as drummer and backing vocals, but he sang lead vocals on a few songs. It is always amazing to see someone play drums and sing at the same time. With all the band members helping on vocals and the pristine sound system, there were sweet harmonies and plenty of incentive to sing along. By the time they got to “Are You Gona Be My Girl?”, every mouth was in motion. A surprise song was, Timothy. Wikipedia states, ” Get Born also includes the song “Timothy”, dedicated to deceased brother of vocalist/guitarist Cameron Muncey, who died before Cameron was born. Due to the sensitive nature of the song, the band rarely plays ‘Timothy’ live.” It was a treat when they announced it was the next song.
The rest of the set was rollicking rock and roll. The set list showed “Bring It On Back” as the first song for the encore, yet it didn’t get played. As it was approaching midnight, it is a good guess that time did not permit them to play it. No one seemed to notice taking in every note that was offered. As far as great concerts go, Jet is a sure bet. (More About Jet)
Setlist
KIA (Killed In Action)
Last Chance
She’s A Genius
Beat On Repeat
Are You Gonna Be My Girl?
Seventeen
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
Look What You’ve Done
Timothy
Holiday
Times Like This
Rip It Up
Get Me Outta Here
Encore
That’s All Lies
Cold Hard Bitch
