The Rooftop at Pier 17 (New York, New York)
05/12/23
On May 12th, Frank Turner performed to a crowded New York City rooftop as part of his co-headlining tour with The Interrupters. Following openers Bedouin Soundclash as well as an incredible performance by The Interrupters, Frank and his band, The Sleeping Souls, took the stage of The Rooftop at Pier 17 to close out the night.
The evening was definitely one to remember, highlighted by both the remarkable performances as well as the stunning venue itself. Pier 17’s waterfront stage is incredibly framed on all sides by some of New York’s most iconic landmarks, which singer Frank Turner couldn’t resist pointing out just a couple songs in – The Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, and Brooklyn Bridge all in perfect view – though he admittedly seemed most excited about being a couple docks away from the Heliport used in HBO’s Succession.
The set opened up with a captivating performance of “Punches” off the most recent album, FTHC, and was continued with older favorites, including “1933” and “Get Better.” As the night went on, it was rounded out with a jam-packed, impressive set that ran the gamut of Frank Turner’s discography and ranged from quiet acoustic solo moments to full band chaos – Frank at one point notably getting 6 different circle pits to form throughout the crowd at a single time.
Some standout moments in the set included the touching acoustic performance of “Be More Kind,” followed immediately by “The Ballad of Me and My Friends,” which transformed a crowded venue of several thousand strangers into something akin to a group of friends singing together around a campfire. Both the crowd and band had unwaveringly incredible energy the entire night, but the peak was defined by the audience’s carefree euphoria while yelling along to “Photosynthesis” towards the end of the set. A defiant chorus of voices belting out a promise to never grow up into the breeze coming off the Hudson River was the perfect kickoff to summer and one of those concert moments that forever sticks with you.
Frank Turner is an English folk-punk singer songwriter who has been performing as a solo act for nearly 20 years. He’s recently been touring with a full band as Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls and will be wrapping up a full U.S. run with The Interrupters this month. He is known for playing shows nonstop and proudly shared that the May 12th New York show was the 2,765th show that he has performed live.
