The Menzingers Return Home in Spirit at The Stone Pony
Home of Dunder Miflin Paper Company.
The Anthracite Capital of the World.
First city to have electric streetcars.
Birthplace of #46, President Joe Biden.
And in 2006, four Scranton, PA, USA, locals – Greg Barnett, Tom May, Eric Keen and Joe Godino – got together and formed The Menzingers and never looked back.
On Friday night, they made an essential stop for any band that cut their musical teeth in the New York City-New Jersey-Philadelphia musical triplex, the world-famous Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ. This evening was not only a 20-year homecoming of sorts but also marked the release of their ninth studio album “Everything I Ever Saw” before an enthusiastic “hometown” crowd.
Joining The Menzingers and opening the show was “The Holy Mess,” their longtime friends from Stroudsburg, PA. The Holy Mess, which had disbanded in 2016 after a 10-year run, had a brief reunification tour in 2022, but came together for this special night and is now doing a few East Coast shows. They put on a strong set, so one can only hope that things hold for a while so more folks can see these guys.
“Chance Encounters” off their banging new album “Everything I Ever Saw” kicked off the show just as it kicks off the new record. Songwriter Greg Barnett takes the lead vocals, while Tom May bounces around on guitar as a drop of water spilt onto a hot skillet. The song reflects on how chance encounters can have a meaningful and lasting impact on one’s life.
Up next, with “The Obituaries”, Barnett captures the angst of growing older, remembering the good times of the past and waiting with dread for the other shoe to drop. The refrain “I will fuck this up, I fuckin’ know it…” is clearly one many of us have felt when things seem to be going well, but recollections of past disasters haunt us.
“Try” hits us with the reality of our inability to unravel not only the personal messes we encounter, but more daunting, those not of our own making. With “Good Things” the guys try to understand the dichotomy of living out their dream and wondering why it isn’t resonating anymore. “I’m I’ve been having a horrible time, Pulling myself together, I’ve been closing my eyes to find, Why all good things should fall apart?…”
Like many Menzingers tunes, “Lookers” from the “After the Party” album is a glimpse through time’s rearview mirror, in this case it’s a look back to the writer’s love for nothing other than Asbury Park itself, memorialized in the chorus “Sha la la la, Jersey girls are always total heartbreakers, Julie from the Wonder Bar, I still wonder where you are…”.
“House on Fire” is yet another look at the ennui of life. Other songs played from the new album were “Better Angels,” “The Fool” (live debut), “Nobody’s Heroes” and title track “Everything I Ever Saw.”
After nine albums it’s difficult to get to everyone’s favorites, but The Menzingers did their best to hit as many bases as they could. Remaining songs in the main set were “America (You’re Freaking Me Out),” “Your Wild Years,” “Hope Is a Dangerous Little Thing,” “I Was Born,” “I Don’t Wanna Be an Asshole Anymore,” “Burn After Writing,” “Thick as Thieves,” “Anna,” and “Gates.”
The two song encore was comprised of a cover of New Jersey greats The Bouncing Souls’ “Kate Is Great,” with the show closing with the aptly named “After the Party.”
Photo’s (c) David Fang
