Last night every hipster in the Tempe/Phoenix area came together for their collective high school reunion, or so it seemed. As teary eyed and sweaty as they were in their teenage years, a mob of now twenty somethings packed into the Marquee Theatre to stand awkwardly on the back wall until Say Anything took the stage. At which point everyone lost their s***.
With good reason I might add. Say Anything's"...Is a Real Boy" 10 year anniversary tour inspired the most post-modern celebration of nostalgia I've ever witnessed. At first sight Max Bemis' eloquently disheveled hair sparks an uproar as the introduction to the first track of the album, "Belt", plays. A wave of goosebumps passes through the crowd upon Max's first words of the night: "and the record begins with a song of rebellion". From the first song the audience is run amok with moshing, cheering, and joyful fan girls crying. The closing lyrics of this track "all my friends in the alley tonight" assume a unanimous understanding of kinship between a handful of sweat soaked strangers holding one another in the mosh pit singing along soulfully.
Max's initial goal for this album was to write a rock opera featuring a full story, interludes, and characters. The final product of "...Is A Real Boy" instead became a musically focused album, and much less of a rock opera. However this vision came to life as every boy and girl in the pit assumed their roles throughout singing along to "Alive With The Glory of Love". A few minutes captures the emotion of what might be our last chance to share this intimate experience of expression with strangers on the same level of enthusiasm.
Reciting word for word an album that saw us through our adolescence, we're much less a crowd of fans than a group of life long friends. The same look of tragic angst shows on all our howling faces during "Every Man Has A Molly".
The applause grows with each passing song in the set. Despite writing about being an egotistical prick who hates himself, Max Bemis is actually a nice, humble guy on stage. Taking out his ear plugs to listen to his audience, the sentiment expressed by Max's face lighting up at the sound of the audience's ovation is heart warming. There's a real connection between this audience in complete adoration of an entertainer and a performer equally thrilled to hear us cheering.
Several fans anticipate the possibility of hearing a few songs from Two Tongues, a side project shared by Max Bemis (Say Anything) and Chris Conley (Saves the Day). Acknowledging this anticipation Max quickly bursts our bubble announcing that no Two Tongues will be performed. However he accompanies this with good news; a new Two Tongues record is in the works. So it only makes frustrating sense that the two would hold back on this tour to "keep you primed for the real thing" says Bemis.
The "...Is A Real Boy" anniversary tour is absolutely a must see for any Say Anything fan. If you don't buy yourself a ticket, buy a box of Kleenex to wipe away your tears at the thought of missing out. But really, the tour is a one time experience for fans to see whats arguably the most memorable album performed start to finish. The full performance of the album as well as it's later released bonus disc "...Was A Real Boy" features songs never before performed live on previous tours. Don't miss this tour, and be on the watch for a new release from Two Tounges. From Max's words, it appears there will likely be a tour following the release as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment