On The Set With New Jersey Rockers, The Gaslight Anthem

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Last month, hundreds of dedicated fans of New Jersey punk band the Gaslight Anthem waited outside of Asbury Park's The Stone Pony for their chance to be in the band's music video for "45."

Avid fans are often willing to camp out for days to meet their favorite band and Gaslight Anthem didn't take this lightly. So, they decided to treat fans to an hour concert in addition to the music video shoot.

"We're going to do '45' about a million times but we're going to mix it up with some other songs too so just bear with us," said Gaslight Anthem frontman Brian Fallon to fans during the band's music video shoot. "You suffer a little today and then you get yourself in a video forever!"

"45" is the lead single off Gaslight Anthem's upcoming album Handwritten and they hope this is the song that will bring more radio time. "We knew it was one of our favorites after we wrote it," drummer Benny Horowitz said. "After we recorded it, it became the clear frontrunner."

On Wednesday (May 9), the band's report time for the video shoot is 10:45 a.m. A mere four hours later fans already line the sidewalk just steps from the beach. Unbeknownst to them, they won't only be featured in a music video but they'll also be getting a free concert in the process.

The Gaslight Anthem reached out to fans on social media a few days earlier to invite them to the shoot. While Horowitz said at first he thought it was presumptuous to predict such a big turnout, the packed venue worked out well for the video's live element. Having been in a music video as a kid himself, Horowitz admitted he never dreamed he'd actually be filming one for his own band years later.

shooting a video for "45" this Wed. May 9th @ the Stone Pony in Asbury Park!Want in? Email tga45videorsvp@gmail.com for info!18+!#45

— The Gaslight Anthem (@gaslightanthem) May 4, 2012

Directed by Giorgio Testi, he and a crew of 30+ shout out "smoke it out," "roll camera," "B only" and "pickup shot" countless times throughout the over 12-hour day. Since Gaslight Anthem is shooting a live concert video they're onstage for the majority of the shoot, taking breaks only for a quick hi to friends and family visiting the set.

(credit: Annie Reuter)

"You can sing, but if you want to keep your voice that's fine," Testi tells frontman Brian Fallon during one take. Apologizing for the few breaks the band had throughout the day, Brian assured Testi it's a non-issue.

"When we play shows we play for two to two-and-a-half hours -- no break," Fallon said.

The shoot's running late and fans continue to lineup outside, wrapping around the Stone Pony. By the time they're ushered into the venue after 8 p.m. they're ready for a show. Little do they know they still have another hour until the crew is ready.

At 9:15 p.m. Gaslight Anthem takes the stage to screams and chants of "U.S.A."

While the film crew was busy setting up the audience got restless. "We've been waiting for two hours. Play a song!" one fan yelled. Perhaps tired of the wait themselves, Gaslight Anthem segued into a high-energy performance of "Great Expectations."

By the time they were finished it was time for the first live crowd shot of "45." As the music began a mosh pit quickly developed while fans screamed along.

"We're going to play as much as we can. I really appreciate you guys coming," Fallon said before letting fans in on a secret. "By the way, we're going to dedicate this video to MCA. He was a pioneer," Fallon said of Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch.

Next track, the slower "We Came to Dance" had the room screaming along to New Jersey centric lyrics "over this quiet Edison sky" before "45" and "The '59 Sound" followed.

"I don't know what's the deal with me and numbers. '45', '59', '1930.' I guess I'm a numbers guy," Fallon joked about the song titles to the band's tracks.

In between songs a makeup artist came onstage to do touch-ups. Meanwhile, when the director motioned for another performance of "45" Brian asserted, "We're going to do one more before we do '45.'" The poignant "Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts" followed suit to a much appreciated audience.

Horowitz explained that the band wanted to make a video to accurately portray their live show. After fans spent hours waiting in the rain, Fallon's sentiments rang true: "You suffer a little today and then you get yourself in a video forever!"

- Annie Reuter CBS Local