Terminal 5, NYC – 09 Sep 2022
Feel like I’m in heaven, when they’re singing their these songs
Jersey’s fabled ska-punks Streetlight Manifesto came to Terminal 5 in the Hell’s Kitchen section of Manhattan with Philly’s Catbite in tow. Before the doors even opened the line stretched down 56th street, flooded with checkered shoes, Rancid T’s and marching band competition pins. There was no mistaking the extremely diverse crowd was here for an “it’s not really ska,” ska bonanza.
The band has always been known for its fantastic, lively, energetic shows, and a show this close to home was destined for greatness. Adding a powerhouse outfit like Catbite to the festivities only enhanced anticipation and guaranteed good times.
The show started off and immediately Catbite dialed in on sunshiney feels with its blend of two-tone and Jamaican ska boppers, vibing through a strong setlist of positive messages and dancy waves of melodies. With a set featuring “Asinine Aesthetic,” “Not Your Baby,” “Call Your Bluff” and “Scratch Me Up” the Philadelphia crew proved that the deliciousness of 2019’s self-titled album and brilliance of 2021’s Nice One translated even better in a live setting. The band performed with such an exuberance of nostalgia it ended up sounding like something from the future.
Frontperson Britt Luna was charming on stage, instantly likeable and sincerely gracious. The band made my day first by rocking through my personal favorite “Amphetamine Delight” before a rousing cover of Operation Ivy’s “Healthy Body.” I had such a great time to shuffling about to the tunes that I barely noticed that their time was nearly up. When the band closed out with the wonderfully fun “Excuse Me Miss,” I was pretty sad to see the set end, despite my excitement for Streetlight. Catbite is a band I never made time for before today, but I will certainly be making time every chance I get going forward.
A short intermission later and Streetlight Manifesto took the stage and tore the roof off. The energy in the pit exploded with the first chords of “Watch It Crash” and it didn’t let up for the next hour. The technicality of each musician in the brass section, perfectly pitching their instruments to punch up the swaying intricacy of the bass, perfectly complimenting the adrenaline behind Tomas Kalnoky’s vocals.
With this many people on stage it seems impossible to show off everyone’s talents without having to fight one another for the time, but tonight there was no upstaging as every member of the act was content to share the spotlight. That’s why I was able to focus on the back of the stage so well. As with each previous time I’ve watched them, I found myself mesmerized by Chris Thatcher, who may be among the most underrated drummers, not only in the scene, but in the world. No beat is wasted or missed as he accentuates every drumstroke with precision and purpose.
With a Somewhere In The Between-heavy set, the band knocked it out of the park with classics like “The Receiving End Of It All,” “Down, Down, Down to Mephisto’s Cafe” and “Would You Be Impressed?” The crowd pulsed shifting and grooving as the circle widened for the mini-marathons that were marched within the pit. This was already a perfect evening but then the band pulled out the big guns with “We Will Fall Together,” “A Moment of Silence,” “A Moment of Violence” and the ever popular “Here’s To Life.”
Kalnocky and crew have closed with “Big Sleep” at every other show I can remember since the song’s release, so when the band broke into the track, I thought the night was over… but there was of course an encore. That encore sealed the fate of the evening as being the best performance out of the band that I’d ever seen, busting out the now obligatory “Point/Counterpoint” with its “Keasby Nights” interlude before the proper closing track: “Somewhere in the Between.”
It was phenomenal, it was perfect, and as I’ve said after everytime I’ve seen the band; it was something I will do again any chance I get.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
