reCap :: Brian Fallon & The Crowes and Ryan Bingham :: 2016.09.23
Sep 26 / Monday
It was quite fitting that Brian Fallon and Ryan Bingham started their show at The Cap on Sept. 23 with a joint cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City.” The date marked the 67th birthday of “The Boss,” and more on point, it showcased two of the music world’s best Americana singer/songwriters saluting one the greatest storytellers of our time. That trend continued throughout the night with Fallon joining Bingham for his last song as well, and vice versa when it was Fallon’s time on the stage. The bookends celebrated other iconic songwriters, but more on that later.
Following the Garden State anthem, Bingham started off the show, and played a full-set of the tunes that have made him arguably one of the most respected singer/songwriters working today. The New Mexico native may be best known for his Oscar-winning track “The Weary Kind” off the 2009 film Crazy Heart, but there’s so much to him than a single track. His voice is so unique with just the right amount of rasp, and when paired with his tremendous rockin,’ twangin’ band (Richard Bowden, in particular, was legendary on fiddler), the live experience far exceeds anything you’ve heard on record.
Bingham mostly ran through songs from his last record Fear and Saturday Night and tracks off his previous albums with precision. He also tossed in a few covers. Speaking of the latter, his mandolin-driven cover of The Allman’s “Whipping Post” arguably drew the biggest cheers of the night. While his entire set was solid and sincere, “Nobody Knows My Trouble,” the first track off Fear, resonated the most for me personally and many in the crowd. I’ll also say this throughout his set he seemed so authentic when addressing the crowd, expressing how appreciative he was to be on the road with Fallon, and hitting spots along the Northeast that he never could’ve imagined playing.
Following an hour-plus set, Bingham closed out the show feeling a little ‘free wheelin’ with Fallon joining him and his band on stage for a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.” After a short break, Bingham was back – this time with Fallon’s band The Crowes behind him - returning the favor by crushing a cover of Tom Petty’s classic “I Won’t Back Down.” From there, Fallon owned the night. Throughout the show, he performed nearly all of the tracks off his stellar Painkillers debut album. With his signature rasp and riffs, he’s never sounded better.
From the opener “A Wonderful Life,” he had the audience in his hand. His constant banter throughout the show also drew laughs, smirks, and intended bafflement. As a performer, Fallon comes off as an alt-rock Bruce. As a person, he comes off as a character written by Dennis Lehane only from a New Jersey vantage point. He came off as a funny tough guy who roots for Yankees, hates the Devils, and loves pumpkins. The latter may have just been a joke following an interaction with a fan. “I write about three things: love, cars, and pumpkins,” he cracked.
But, back to the music…Highlights included “Nobody Wins,” “Smoke,” and a trio of tracks off Fallon’s side band Horrible Crowes, whose 2011 debut Elsie is terribly underrated. He also nailed an unexpected cover of punk royalty NOFX’s “Linoleum” with bandmate Jared Hart.
Fittingly, the evening closed out with Bingham and company joining Fallon and his band (as well as solid opener Paul Cauthen) doing a joyous rendition of the Traveling Wilbury’s “Handle With Care.”
On this deeply-felt Friday night, there was plenty of “love to give.”