Jeff Rosenstock’s got a particularly perceptive and clairvoyant view on this world, and that comes through in his song lyrics and his words off the stage.
The Long Island native turned SoCal sun worshipper just turned 41 years old, but having made music for most of his life, he seems to have raised his trajectory as more and more listeners are taking a liking to his style, sound, and energy while he continues to craft his own potent and stirring brand of pop punk.
With his latest album, HELLMODE, Rosenstock artfully ratchets up the sentiment across 11 tracks that amount to a powerful, emotive addition to an explosive catalogue that he began creating as an ambitious and visionary teenager.
Jeff kicked off his current tour in the nation’s capital on Sept. 6 — the eve of his birthday — serving up a performance for the ages at a sold-out and boisterous 9:30 Club and showing himself to be a forecaster and a guru of this colorful, rowdy and undeniably lovable form of musical expression.
Listen to Jeff Rosenstock’s freshly released fifth studio album, HELLMODE, via Spotify:
Rosenstock and his band delivered a monstrous set, blasting through two dozen songs and pulling from just about all of Jeff’s albums. It was, of course, loaded with tracks from HELLMODE, his fifth since he began recording under his own name back in 2015.
Fans screamed at the top of their lungs right along with Jeff, some of them spitting out lyrics word for word to even the most expeditious tracks, like the blistering trance “HEAD” from HELLMODE and the astounding work of art “FUTURE IS DUMB,” which left at least one front-row patron in tears of exhilaration.
Rosenstock’s undoubtedly risen to hero status for many of his fans, and they come in all attitudes and ages to celebrate songs that reject the baloney of today and propose a more practical perspective.
Watch the official music video for Jeff Rosenstock’s “DOUBT” from HELLMODE via his YouTube channel:
It was a festive night on Sept. 6 in the nation’s capital, with the lower level transforming into a revolving, zany pit of swaying bodies all guided by Jeff’s instruction early in the presentation — a regular reminder at his shows — to respect thy neighbor and to help a poor soul out if the situation called for it.
And thanks to the communal buy-in and outright enthusiasm of so many on hand at 9:30 Club on a hotter, sweatier than usual early September evening, it put Rosenstock and his band in the right mindset to launch a two-part tour that runs up the East Coast and into Canada this month before beginning again in November on the West Coast.
Even the band leader himself — presented with a gift gourd from member of the audience — said the night would be tough to match.
“We got waves going on, I got a fucking gourd, I got two sips of a White Claw,” Jeff couldn’t believe it.
“The rest of the tour is CANCELED,” his mates chimed in.
“We’re playing here every night for the next SIX HUNDRED DAYS!”
And Jeff made the occasion that much more memorable when he grabbed his saxophone late in the set, sprinting off stage and reappearing on the second level to blow back at his squad with the entire venue cheering at him from high and low.
An appropriate lead-in to his birthday, the performance sling-shotted this group out onto the road to celebrate … in HELLMODE. And it portrayed Rosenstock as an all-powerful, enterprising spirit who can earn the interest and respect of any rational listener.
Setlist
WILL U STILL U
HEAD
Scram!
LIKED U BETTER
DOUBT
Festival Song
SOFT LIVING
Wave Goodnight to Me
FUTURE IS DUMB
I Did Something Weird Last Night
Nausea
State Line
HEALMODE
ILLEGAL FIREWORKS AND HIDING BOTTLES IN THE SAND
Leave It In The Ska
Jam with a gourd in hand
LIFE ADMIN
I WANNA BE WRONG
GRAVEYARD SONG
Hey Allison!
9/10
You, in Weird Cities
3 SUMMERS
Encore
Pash Rash
We Begged 2 Explode
Here are home-developed and scanned 35mm images of Jeff Rosenstock and his band performing at 9:30 Club in Washington DC the night of Sept. 6, 2023. All photos copyright and courtesy of Casey Ryan Vock.
