Jesse Lacey of Brand New Reflects on the Loss of His Stepson with an Emotional New Song About Grief

Jesse’s Emotional Performance

Jesse the New Jesse delivered a heartfelt song at a recent concert that touched on the loss of his stepson.

Intimate Concert Experience

Last weekend (March 2), Leice took to the stage at the bowl in East Nashville, Tennessee, for an intimate performance. The setlist featured several brand new tracks, alongside a cover of “Two-Headed Boy” by Neutral Milk Hotel, and powerful renditions of songs like “Adios,” “When I Died,” and “Helium” with Human Surfers.

During his performance, Leice took a moment to share a track called “Death” (for Setlist.fm). Before starting the song, he opened up about the passing of his stepson, Miles King Leisi, whose tragic death occurred in February 2022.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzthw7TFCLQ

“It was as difficult as you can imagine. I did not want to go on stage … I would say his name because you want him to know that I am here. He was a very, very, very bright boy. Grief is extremely challenging to navigate, but I’ve found that music dilutes its poison. Being with people during this time… grief feels like a super, super heavy weight that you carry on your back all the time,” he shared with the audience.

He continued: “When I am with people and they can listen to the story of what my family has endured, it feels like they carry some of that weight for a while. I’ve experienced that through music. I just wanted to express my gratitude to all of you because I feel it tonight. I hope that I can help you carry some of that weight, and I thank you for helping me bear mine. I think I’ve written so much about death in a completely new way, and I’m still trying to approach it from a fresh perspective, as uncomfortable as that might be. I can’t perfect it, but this is as close as I get.”

Jesse just made the most emotional speech about the death of his son, which he never spoke publicly about, and released this song about death and grief.

To u/cute_ducks_vol1 Vbrand new

The song features Leice softening a smooth guitar riff, delivering vulnerable lyrics: “I will buy you a cover, and you will go to the repair of your wing / and I will leave with you to the end of everything / we will burn all our possessions because you can’t bring anything / but when we cross the river, this is the only song that I sing.”

One Reddit user mentioned that Leice’s recognition of his stepson’s death during the show was the first time he addressed this tragedy publicly. Previously, in December, he participated in a private reunion show, marking the band’s first concert in seven years, to support the charity Make Life Skate Life.

In other news, a completely new one recently announced their return with details of their first series of live performances since 2017.