Bleachers dazzle at the Coke Stage in first Calgary performance
By Ansharah Shakil, July 25 2025—
New Jersey rock band Bleachers was first formed by frontman Jack Antonoff has always strove for an 80s influence, like their discography could easily slot into the end credits of a John Hughes film, with the same nostalgic, enduring sound. Bleachers’ songs are the kind that are automatically enhanced by being played live, a quality clearly present during their performance at this year’s Calgary Stampede.
Alongside being lead vocalist for Bleachers, Antonoff was the guitarist and drummer for fun, which gained prominence after hits “We Are Young” and “Some Nights.” But he’s better known for being one of the most in-demand music producers in the business. His production career started while working with the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen and Taylor Swift, the latter kickstarting his fame. Now he’s won eleven Grammys for his work with Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Lorde and more. While Bleachers isn’t as famous as these collaborations, that creative freedom might contribute to their infectiously joyful performances.
Touring musicians Mikey Freedom Hart, Sean Hutchinson, Evan Smith, Mike Riddleberger and Zem Audu are now officially part of the band, which was the right move to make — Bleachers is characterized by its synthesizers but elevated and energized by its instruments. Bruce Springsteen-infused, sax-driven “Modern Girl”, the second song on the setlist, utilizes this splendidly.
Bleachers is at their finest during upbeat songs like “How Dare You Want More”, which was performed with aplomb, perfectly summing up one of the key ideas about the band: be more, do more, try more. They’re the same ideas that had Antonoff telling people to get down on the ground and jump, telling them to get louder and during “Rollercoaster” telling them to get up on their companions’ shoulders.
The audience, in turn, responded with wild excitement, cheering whether the song was fast-paced or slower — like the cover of “Margaret”, the moving Lana del Ray ballad featuring Bleachers about his now wife, Margaret Qualley. They responded in kind when Antonoff was effusive about Calgary, or changed lyrics to reference Alberta, like in “Wake Me”, whose earnest, winning quality means it’s always going to be one of the standouts from Bleachers’ discography.
Antonoff introduced “Rollercoaster” with the playing of a synthesizer hum in a B-flat. When he first heard the noise, he knew what he wanted Bleachers to be: a sound like nothing’s going to happen, but there’s a chance it does. Pointing the mic to the audience for the first line, Antonoff played up the showstopping, fired up track with his delivery of lines like “Come a little closer.”
The most sensational part of the night was near the end, with the breathless, cathartic “I Wanna Get Better” followed by the glorious synthpop of “Don’t Take the Money.” Both songs have the heart-in-your throat melodies and lovely lyricism characteristic of the best Bleachers songs. In a moment of starry-eyed wonder and 80s romantic comedy-esque timing, Stampede fireworks lined up with both, blazing brightly across the sky while audiences screamed the lines to “I Wanna Get Better”, and carrying through to the opening synths of “Don’t Take the Money.” Once they were over, the band ended the night off with “Stop Making This Hurt”, ensuring their first show in Calgary was one to remember.