At this point, Jeff Rosenstock is something of an indie rock folk hero. He’s the Dave Grohl of the underground, the Johnny Appleseed of DIY punk circles, touring the country and planting good vibes and angsty tunes wherever he happens to set up shop. On Friday, April 5th, he rolled through Columbus, Ohio, to do just that, and judging by the number of giddy grins within the packed King of Clubs venue, it was a successful outing.
Dubbed “THE REVENGE OF JEFF ROSENSTOCK: FREE FROM DISEASE… IMPRISONED BY CAPITALISM!” tour, Rosenstock’s current run encompasses re-scheduled shows from his canceled 2023 tour, as well as a couple of extra stops… you know, as a treat. It’s another leg of album support for his great project from that year, Hellmode, and one that finds him accompanied by Philadelphia indie-rockers Gladie and one-woman show Sidney Gish. In other words, the bill boasts bangin’ guitar music from front to back.
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Gladie were first to take the stage, and as the clipart visual stated behind them, it was another amazing live performance from the band. The sound mixing in the room was a tad off, with the bass and toms bearing down on the rest of the band, but the songs of their excellent 2022 record Don’t Know What You’re in Until You’re Out are simply too well-written to be ruined a slightly unbalanced mix. Gish, for her part, charmed her way through her set, often building her songs piece by piece via a looper pedal. Powerhouse singles like “Presumably Dead Arm” and her cover of STRFKR’s “Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second” won over anyone not attending primarily for her (I talked to more than one of these).
By the time Rosenstock was set to take the stage, any mixing kinks had been worked out and the pit was ready to rage. As if he was anticipating such energy, Rosenstock came out swinging, walking out to System of a Down’s “Chop Suey” before picking up his guitar to finish the song alongside the track.
What followed was 20-plus high-energy rippers. As expected, Rosenstock leaned heavily on Hellmode, with nearly all of that record’s 11 tracks landing on the setlist. Old-heads, fear not, as the band pulled out plenty of fan favorites as well, from Worry.’s “Wave Goodnight to Me” to We Cool?’s “Nausea” to Ska Dream’s (!!) “Leave It in the Ska.”