WHEN: June 23, 2013
WHERE: Boston, MA (Paradise Rock Club)
Say Anything frontman Max Bemis is quite the gleeful nihilist. One minute, he stomps and howls all over tracks–dismantling any cohesion with howling ire and brutal honesty. While their sound has evolved both lyrically and musically, Bemis’ onstage persona is still that of the snot-nosed punk that riled up listeners on ‘Is A Real Boy,’ Say Anything’s debut album. And to a sold out Boston crowd, SA gave their all as they passionately performed older songs from their catalogue. Kicking things off with “Colorblind,” things turned sweaty quickly as audience members were desperately pushing their way to the front while simultaneously screaming out lyrics. “The Futile,” “Died a Jew,” “Every Man Has a Molly,” and “All My Friends” were met with the kind of energy that most musicians only dream of. The crowd surfing that quickly ensued was both natural and inevitable: you either go big or go home at a Say Anything concert.
“Alive With The Glory of Love,” like almost every other song of the evening, made for a great sing along moment. While the night arguably climaxed with that particular song, that didn’t stop Bemis for having the courage to dust off “A Boston Peace.” Although he admitted that he has never done the song live, his solo effort was admirable. Shortly after, we wound down with “A Walk Through Hell” before everyone started shuffling out of the venue. As we made our exhausting exit, the feeling in the air was a unanimous one: there’s a snot-nosed punk in all of us.