How many bands have you seen three times?  I’m not asking the jam band crowd, who might see Phish three times in one weekend, and it doesn’t count if it’s your friends, like Kittens Ablaze or Midnight Spin. I was surprised to realize that there are only three such bands for me- the Dropkick Murphys, who are one of the most potent live acts in the history of music, Arcade Fire, and Titus Andronicus, the Jersey punk rockers.

Earlier this year I reviewed their new album, The Monitor, a pugnacious concept album about the civil war and New Jersey.   I won’t revisit my effusive praise for The Monitor here, but suffice to say it beats the hell out of Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs, this year’s other big concept album.

Webster Hall is a great venue for music, though it’s ostentatious party club atmosphere makes it a weird place to see a grungy outcasts like Titus.  The bouncer, dutifully separating the music nerds from the preppy dance party crowd, spotted the tickets in my hand.

“You’re here for Titus…what’s the guys last name?”

“Andronicus.”

“That’s right, Andronicus.”  I explained that the band wasn’t actually a person named Titus Andronicus; rather, the band was named for a Shakespeare play by that name.  “Shakespeare, huh?  He’s alright.”

Shakespeare was better than alright, and so were Titus.  The show was very high energy, thanks in part to the always robust hometown supporters who attend the band’s big shows.  Titus went through the whole new album and much of their first album, Airing of Grievances.

The only kind of bizarre aspect to this band is how tight they are with their family, who come out in throngs to support them.  Patrick Stickles, the lead singer, devotes significant mic time to praising his mom and aunt and high school principal dad.  It’s very sincere, but also kind of jarring.  Anyway, these guys play in New York and New Jersey a lot, and I highly recommend that people catch them in person soon- or at least check out their music.

Cristina, a superior photographer with a superior camera, will probably post facebook photos soon, and I’ll throw a couple of those up here.