If ever there\u2019s a situation you go into knowing exactly what you\u2019re getting out of it, it\u2019s a full album playthrough concert. Your connection to the record in question draws your ticket purchase, and there\u2019s not a lot of setlist prediction going on. The only way this isn\u2019t going to be an epic night is if the band somehow flops on stage, or maybe they get too frisky with the live interpretations and the songs performed are too different from the ones played through your headphones.<\/p>\n
Jimmy Eat World<\/a> are currently touring<\/a> on the 25th anniversary of their breakthrough classic\u00a0Bleed American. Call it a definitive emo album, a crossover alternative hit, a power-pop masterpiece \u2014 it\u2019s easily one of the best albums of 2001<\/a> and means a whole lot to a whole lot of people. Hearing it played in its entirety presents a pulse-raising opportunity at the crossroads of nostalgia, fandom, and the pure joy of live music.<\/p>\n Get Jimmy Eat World Tickets Here<\/a><\/p>\n At Brooklyn Paramount on Tuesday, June 16th \u2014 the fourth stop on the tour \u2014 Jimmy Eat World delivered exactly what fans would hope for.<\/p>\n Before getting into what everyone had come for, the set opened with a handful of tracks off JEW\u2019s other landmark record<\/a>,\u00a0Clarity. (As tour T-shirts proudly noted, Bleed American only runs 46 minutes and 38 seconds, which does not a full headline show make.) Performed with the band lined up in front of a black curtain and a single row of lights, \u201cClarity,\u201d \u201cBelieve in What You Want,\u201d \u201cYour New Aesthetic,\u201d<\/a> and \u201cLucky Denver Mint\u201d served the role of opener as much as actual support acts The Get Up Kids and Hey Mercedes did, rousing renditions that built anticipation for the beloved cuts we all knew were next.<\/p>\n Related Video<\/p>\n The curtain then split, revealing a full lighting rig and grated risers, with drummer Zach Lind switching to a higher kit and touring member Robin Vining appearing behind his keyboards to help flesh out the tunes. And the second the title track\u2019s driving opening notes blew forth in a cloud of smoke, the crowd erupted. I mean, erupted \u2014 a reactor suddenly hitting critical mass. The energy shift was immediate, like lightning hitting the antenna on Doc Brown\u2019s DeLorean, transporting the sold-out venue back to the millions of memories tied to Bleed American.<\/p>\n It was an utter rush, one that swept the eager audience through the next hour as track after cherished track came roaring out of the band. One downside to an album playthrough, however, is you can\u2019t really futz with the tracklist. Frontman Jim Adkins said as much when I spoke to him before the show (stay tuned for that interview\u2026), noting Bleed American has a number of peaks and valleys you might not typically build into a live show. The record is stacked with rippers in the opening half (\u201cSweetness,\u201d \u201cA Praise Chorus\u201d), while Side 2 has more power-pop structures (\u201cThe Authority Song,\u201d \u201cIf You Don\u2019t, Don\u2019t\u201d); in between, there are a number of slower, dearer gut-punches (\u201cYour House,\u201d \u201cHear You Me\u201d). It meant the set opened at a high point, but that doesn\u2019t mean the crowd ever felt left behind when it dipped. After all, we diehards love all of these tracks.<\/p>\n Interestingly, the first real dip was at the band\u2019s most popular song, \u201cThe Middle.\u201d \u201cNone of us really knew what to do with this song,\u201d Adkins told the crowd. \u201cWe didn\u2019t expect much from track three because it came together really easy.\u201d Following \u201cBleed American\u201d and \u201cA Praise Chorus,\u201d the most ubiquitous song in their catalog was met with a relatively muted (but still ample) appreciation \u2014 which, honestly, makes sense. It\u2019s Jimmy Eat World\u2019s biggest hit, another easy entry on the best songs of 2001<\/a>, but it doesn\u2019t define\u00a0Bleed American.<\/p>\n That\u2019d be tracks like \u201cYour House,\u201d which received the most live alteration (a change in tempo, a shift in the chorus structure) without losing its sweet beauty. It\u2019s the call-and-response glory of \u201cSweetness\u201d or the aggressive declaration of \u201cGet It Faster.\u201d It\u2019s the exquisite heartbreak in numbers like \u201cHear You Me\u201d and \u201cCautioners.\u201d<\/p>\n (Note on that last one: Adkins introduced it by saying, \u201cLive Nation begged us not to play this next one. You\u2019ve got a nice venue here \u2014 be a shame if we played \u2018Cautioners\u2019 in it.\u201d Now, my read on that track has always been a breakup song, but was Adkins implying it was a comment on the music industry? It\u2019d make some sense, given Jimmy Eat World was infamously dropped by their label before Bleed American.\u00a0Or was he just acknowledging how much of a downbeat the track is? Maybe JEW\u2019s track by track breakdown YouTube series<\/a> will clear it up.)<\/p>\n After main set and album closer \u201cMy Sundown,\u201d the band took their bow only to return for a five-song encore: \u201cDisintegration,\u201d \u201cPain,\u201d \u201cFor Me This is Heaven,\u201d Bleed American B-side \u201c(Splash) Turn Twist,\u201d and fan-favorite \u201c23.\u201d Deep cuts, rarities, and classics from across their catalog rounded things out with a sort of mini set that showed appreciation for those who\u2019ve stayed fans beyond the commercial smashes. And as they did with the main set, those fans responded with electric delight.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve seen plenty of packed Brooklyn Paramount shows, but rarely has the venue felt so full. Not just with people, but with feeling. Even when Rick Burch had to swap out his bass during the middle of \u201cA Praise Chorus\u201d he \u2014 like the crowd \u2014 couldn\u2019t stop smiling. This may be an album anniversary tour, but it\u2019s much more than a nostalgia trip to a record that had an impact two and a half decades ago. It\u2019s a celebration of the band behind the breakout. For many, the album was the starting point of a long love affair. Twenty-five years in, Jimmy Eat World still means a whole lot to a whole lot of people.<\/p>\n Get tickets to Jimmy Eat World\u2019s\u00a0Bleed American 25th Anniversary Tour here<\/a>.<\/p>\n