14 years since their last United States concert, Jet embarked on a mini tour, playing to a sold-out Nashville crowd at The Basement East.
Australian-based rockers Jet opened their five-date US run, playing a pair of shows in New York City, followed by a show at Nashville’s The Basement East, and then closing with two concerts in Los Angeles. Joining them on tour was Melbourne’s Super American Eagle. It was clear early on that the Music City crowd was unfamiliar with the openers. The trio consists of founding members from other bands, as bassist Dave Mudie is the drummer for Courtney Barnett, drummer Brent DeBoer is with The Dandy Warhols, and lead singer and guitarist Robert Harrow is from Immigrant Union.
After waving to the crowd, Super American Eagle got right to the music, playing a nearly 45-minute set for the Nashville crowd. One of the highlights came as the band mixed in a cover of The Prodigy’s “Breathe.” The self-described psych wizards put their twist on the track, making it almost unrecognizable to listeners. It was still a delight to those who picked up on the track.
As the audience continued to make their way into the venue, the applause for the openers grew. The loudest ovation for Super American Eagle came when the group announced they would be playing The Basement the following night (Friday). However, while they received applause, it was clear that the crowd was ready for Jet, who got the party going with “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is,” a rock song with a guitar-heavy track and an infectious chorus that got the audience excited early. The tempo carried into the next few songs, including the group’s 2024 single “Hurry Hurry,” performed with Australian guitarist Davey Lane.The reason for Jet’s first US tour in over a decade was for the group to celebrate the 21st anniversary of their debut album Get Born. This record received massive praise from critics and fans as the band’s singles dominated the airwaves and charts during the early 2000s. As lead singer Nic Cester told the Nashville crowd, the album “changed our lives.” To thank the fans and celebrate the milestone, Jet played their debut album in full.
The excitement and energy turned to another level inside the venue once the band performed the second track of that debut album. Get Born became an instant fan-favorite when the group’s first single, “Are You Gonna Be My Girl,” hit the airwaves. The timing of the release in 2003 came at a point when the music world was changing and was entering the early days of streaming. While being played on the radio, the track was featured in commercials, including being used as an early advertisement for the iPod and Apple Music. Fans were able to instantly download the track at their convenience. It was quite humorous to see how many fans had their iPhones out recording the performance – kind of also providing a reminder of how far Apple has come since 2003.
That wasn’t the only tune that received a loud ovation from the crowd. Cester used the audience as vocals throughout the evening, as plenty of singalong moments occurred throughout the show, including during “Look What You’ve Done” and fan-favorite “Cold Hard B****.” After playing their album in full, Cester returned for a performance of the group’s track “Shine On.” The rest of the band would join Cester for the final tracks of the evening, as they closed with “Seventeen” and “Rip It Up.”
Throughout their performance, plenty of smiles and high-fives occurred from crowd members. It was a reminder of how music plays an important factor in people’s lives and pop culture in general. With Jet selling out each of their five US concerts, here’s hoping it won’t be another 14 years before they return to America.
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