The Gaslight Anthem Band • Page 198

This is the best version

 

I definitely understand the cash grab appeal for TGA - especially following a global pandemic. But man it'd be a bummer to see this happen if their hearts aren't in it, like Brian said the last time they toured in 2018.

 

Eh, i felt that way but have decided everyone gets a sellout pass for a few years because of how crushing the pandemic was to the industry. Just fake it well and feed your families and i'm good.

 

After the last two years and what everyone has been though, I figured “cash grab” would be a term musicians, hell, humans wouldn’t be accused of for a while. Everyone is out here trying to survive and people imparting motives is so weird to me. Only profession in the world where I see this.

 

I stay at my awful job as a cash grab lol

 

Hard same.

 

Make your money, everyone. This is all fleeting and can go away at any time.

 

I will, at absolutely no moment, ever think twice about grabbing cash.

 

I agree that anyone and everyone is out to survive, especially those that suffered through the global pandemic. I don't blame anyone for doing anything they have to to do to recover/regroup.

All I'm saying is, as someone who watched all of Brian's Sittin Round At Homes throughout the pandemic, and other interviews he did, he really did say (several times) how miserable he was during the 2018 reunion tour. All I'm saying is, it sucks that anyone has to go through a potential miserable experience just to regroup after a major financial loss.

"Cash Grab" is a negative term, I realize. I guess I just didn't have a better way to phrase it.

 

Anyone complaining about cash grabs sounds like this

 

Did he ever say why he was so miserable?

 

I am sure whatever is happening has been planned, but also seeing Brian on his tour a few weeks back he seemed so happy to be back on the road or in person so maybe that helped push this along.

 

I'm curious to see what the announcement will be. Hopefully a tour or new music. I also would not mind a reissue of Handwritten with Blue Dahlia on the official tracklist.

 

Cash grad is fine. Everyone gets what you’re saying and it’s not an insult to fans. They earned that right to do profitable shows by making a bunch of great records.

 

I think people might be overreacting a bit to Brian's comments about the 2018 reunion tour. I recall him saying that it felt weird and stuff (I guess he used the term "miserable" but I don't know where he said that) but he's always pretty open and loose talking about his mental battles/anxiety about "fame", attention, the band, etc. Jumping into that realm again was probably just anxiety-inducing after years of doing more lowkey solo shows.

He's seemed to be in a pretty chill place over the last few years, so while I'm sure he had a lot of hard emotions about revisiting TGA, I don't think it should be interpreted as: "he fuckin hates doing this and there's no way any TGA shows will be anything but a 'cash grab' or a favor for fans that he won't enjoy." I think the dude was just speaking freely in a few interviews and he'd probably expand on those comments if someone asked him about it.

 

He wouldn’t do Gaslight Shows if he didn’t want to. They wanted to do an anniversary of a beloved record to celebrate with fans and themselves, and and it was a good chance to make some money selling a reissue/touring/selling merch.

Going back to an old dynamic can be hard, especially with personal feelings attached still, and also trying to establish your own new thing.

Everyone wins though.

But I wouldn’t sell the idea of them touring again as in it for the art, because he does have live shows solo/his band.

I got no issue with these guys making money from streaming concerts and live shows. Artists gotta get paid too to help them continue to make art. Money from a tour takes care of their families and can filtered towards new music projects/equipment as well.

 

Just announce something already

 

I've had time to sit and think and revisit both albums and....

I'd still much rather hear Sink or Swim live vs. Handwritten lol. Giime Divorce, 1930, Wooderson, We Came To Dance and Angry Johnny and I'll be a very very happy lad.

 

I'm prepared for what's to come.

 

I hope there is a new music component (or something from this announcement results in a new music eventually).

 

I've always found it funny they broke up after this. Like perfecting Have Mercy was the final scratch to itch before Brian could move on.

 

I would have to go back and find the comments he made 3-4 years ago during the anniversary tour, but I always remembered there was a chance when he said he was miserable that he was speaking of back in the day everything post 59’ Sound was miserable and filled with too much pressure. I always thought he wasn’t specifically talking about that tour.

I could be wrong and would have to go re-visit which I don’t have a chance today to do lol

 

My take was that as the 2018 tour wore on he became more and more disenchanted with it. It hadn’t been that long since they stopped, wounds were still fresh…is what it is. Been many more years now and a life-altering experience for everyone so things change.

 

I don't suppose there is even a 5% chance that they recorded a new album on the sly, is there? To be fair he has had 2 years in which to write and record songs, is prolific, and as far as we know there is nothing solo in the pipeline.

 

If they came together and decided to do a tour, then that's what they decided. If their hearts aren't in it, that doesn't change the fact that they decided to do it, whatever their reasons are. And if those reasons are mainly/solely financial, that's totally understandable given the last two years.