Words and Photos by Kaley Klapisch
John Gallagher, Jr. was having the time of his life at Mercury Lounge.
The musician is best known as Moritz Stiefel from the 2006 rock musical Spring Awakening, which won him the 2007 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor. Though I came into this night expecting to hear a few songs from the hit Broadway show, I was instead blown away by Gallagher’s original songwriting.
Following his Spring Awakening success, Gallagher played Mercury Lounge for the first time in 2008 — his very first gig as a solo performer. On Gallagher’s Instagram page, he recalled that, “When I was 14 and brand new to songwriting, I had heard Mercury Lounge referenced on a live compilation record I listened to obsessively in the suburbs of Delaware so I knew this was a storied New York City venue.”
Now, 18 years later, Gallagher’s name was back on the venue’s chalkboard. This late July show was the second in a short tri-state area tour for his new EP Almost Ok, released in April 2026, with support from Hannah Winkler. Gallagher seemed genuinely, refreshingly excited to play to such an intimate venue, giving play-by-play updates on his Instagram story leading up to the show, and even running out of time to play his ambitiously long setlist.
Much of Almost Ok reckons with the existential dread surrounding our hyper-politicized reality– the second song he performed, “Tough Spit,” features the refrain, “I was gonna go to the [school/mall/pub/show], but I don’t really wanna get shot.” However, Gallagher juxtaposed this bleak lyricism with a relentless, infectious energy that spread to the entire crowd. It was like no time passed at all since 2008!
“Nеw Jersey Transit is a great place to be sad”—John Gallagher, Jr., “Never Leave,” Almost Ok (2026)
