Say Anything is celebrating twenty years of their LP …Is A Real Boy. Released in October of 2005, this album has been on repeat for many. Some tracks on this album have reached over 10 MILLION streams on Spotify. This band has been near and dear to my heart since I first listened to them in high school, so being there for this show was a dream come true.
Touring with Say Anything is Phoenix folk punk act, AJJ. I cannot say enough about this band, I’ve been a huge fan since the release of their album Christmas Island back in 2015. Since then, the band has released a number of different albums and EPs, including last years release Disposable Everything. When AJJ got announced for this tour, I KNEW that I had to be there. The band played songs spanning through almost every era of AJJ. The high energy of their music made for a great opener for the headlining act.
Headlining the show was of course Say Anything from Los Angeles. Celebrating the twenty year anniversary of their album …Is A Real Boy, the band played the entire album straight through. I saw Say Anything at Stage AE indoors the summer after I graduated high school. Shortly after in 2019, the band released LP Oliver Appropriate, and announced a hiatus for the time being. I never thought I’d get another chance to see them live. Now Say Anything has returned, bringing this tour across the country and announcing their ninth studio album …Is Committed, set to release at the end of May 2024.
The band immediately brought the energy, opening with their song “Belt.” This was just the start of things to come, as the crowd almost roared to life as soon as the band took the stage. Lead singer Max Bemis seemed to feed off this energy as the show went on. Once the entire album had been finished, I was curious as to what songs would be played as an encore. Joined on stage by his wife Sherri DuPree, Max played a beautiful rendition of the song “I Want To Know Your Plans.” This lead into their last song of the night “Admit It!” which almost felt like a perfect ending to a perfect night.
Words and Photos by Tom Randall (www.instagram.com/trandallphoto)
Live from the Pitt 