Brian Fallon brings raw Jersey heartland rock to Cologne
Brian Fallon kicked off his “Not Bad for New Jersey” European tour at the Live Music Hall in Cologne. The tour supports his new album of the same name, released in September. Fallon is no stranger to the city, having played here several times, both solo and with The Gaslight Anthem. Despite the Monday evening slot, the venue was solidly packed.
Opener: Chris Farren
Chris Farren opened the night with a melodic, driving rock set full of huge, catchy guitar hooks. Farren handled lead vocals and electric guitar, accompanied by a female drummer who also sang backing vocals. The set was engaging and dynamic, and it got the evening off to an upbeat start.
Brian Fallon
Fallon’s solo work is somewhat softer than his Gaslight Anthem material, spanning heartland rock, folk rock and Americana-flavoured indie rock, but it keeps the same Jersey Shore sound. He is often compared to Springsteen, and with The Gaslight Anthem that never counted against him. Critics and fans saw not a copycat but a preservationist, a young songwriter who made guitar-driven, blue-collar rock feel right again.
The band walked on stage at nine sharp, with soft piano music playing from the speakers, and started without much ceremony. Surprisingly, the set opened with a ballad and only gradually picked up pace over the next two songs.
The musicians were dressed casually, there was no elaborate production and no need for one, just a plain backdrop reading “Brian Fallon & The Painkillers”. The focus was entirely on the music, and what you saw was what you heard: everything was played live, with no backing tracks. The vocals sounded natural and stripped down, with Fallon’s instantly recognizable grit. With a three-piece band behind him and Fallon switching between electric and acoustic guitar while singing, the concert felt natural and down to earth.
Fallon sang with raw emotional intensity, and the songs were anthemic, with driving rhythms and big hooks. Many tracks grew from quiet, storytelling verses into euphoric choruses. His voice was even raspier live than on record, cut through the mix without any problem, and every word came across clearly. He first addressed the audience after five songs, saying how happy he was to start the tour in Germany.
A small bit of guitar trouble followed: the acoustic guitar was out of tune, and it took a while to sort out. It was one of those moments when the gap between band and audience shrinks, as if to say, “Hey, we have a hiccup, and we’re dealing with it without any fuss.”
Upbeat songs like “A Wonderful Life” and “If Your Prayers Don’t Get to Heaven” (with an extended guitar solo) were a definite favourite.
Among the standouts, “Painkillers” was a mid-tempo, stripped-down Americana and classic rock number, while “21 Days” was a slow-building ballad about the 21 days it supposedly takes to form or break a habit, in this case quitting smoking. Its hypnotic bassline and chord progression borrow heavily from the texture of U2’s “With or Without You.” “Red Lights,” an upbeat country-rock track from his debut album, lifted the mood again, and “If Your Prayers Don’t Get to Heaven” became a set peak thanks to its extended guitar solo.
The new album was well represented too. “Better Before” opens with an intro that recalls Bryan Adams, and Fallon explained how it came about in an interview: “I brought the riff to him (Donovan Woods) and was like, I wanna write a Bryan Adams song for 2026.” “You Have Stolen My Heart” some parts follows an uplifting emotional arc built on the same melodic foundation also as Bryan Adams’ power ballad “Heaven.” The high-energy, anthemic title track “Not Bad for New Jersey” could easily pass for a Gaslight Anthem song, and “A Wonderful Life” was unmistakably Springsteen-esque, with a driving snare drum, drawing from the same Jersey Shore well.
Fallon may be a New Jersey songwriter, but on this night Cologne felt like a second home. The crowd welcomed him back like an old friend. It is easy to see why he keeps returning: his popularity in Germany is no accident, and this tour opener might showed that the connection between him and his fans is as strong as ever.
Accreditation: FKP Scorpio
