Bleachers Forever, in New Orleans

New Orleans was blessed to be the first stop on Rolling Stone’s Rock Tour, with headliner Bleachers and support acts Been Stellar and Thomas Dollbaum. All three artists hit the Fillmore stage with a bang, but this was Bleachers' first chance to show off their new album, Everyone for Ten Minutes, dropping just a couple of days later.

With only six stops on the Rock Tour, they had to make the experience special. The first act of the night was New Orleans’ own Thomas Dollbaum. He proudly warmed up the crowd with original work from his new album, Birds of Paradise. He quickly captivated the audience with the help of his second vocalist and the full band. Following closely behind was indie rock band Been Stellar. After only two songs, the lead vocalist proudly claimed New Orleans as their favorite city to perform in.

From the minute Bleachers hit the stage, the crowd erupted with excitement. They came out with tons of energy, clearly ready to give the Fillmore their all. They started the night with multiple songs from their new album and ended it with some long-term fan favorites. Lead singer Jack Antonoff is clearly meant for performing, with an ability to make the crowd feel more like friends than fans. I spoke to multiple attendees who had come from all over the South, and several told me this was their 3rd, 4th, or 5th Bleachers show they’d been to, with some scoring even higher. From front to back, the whole room was dancing. The whole band acted like they had something to prove, like they wanted to leave the venue that night knowing it was the best performance they’ve ever done. 

It would be so fitting to see these artists play Jazz Fest one year, as the city and their songs merged so perfectly. Both band and fans came and left in high spirits, feeling so grateful to have attended such a unique show that the Rock Tour brought.