Artists: Say Anything, Footballhead, The Color Fred
Venue: The Regent Theatre
Date: October 17, 2023
When I first heart Say Anything back in the early 2000s, there was something that stood out about them among the other pop-punk/emo bands of the time. Part of it was the sardonic, wry lyrical style and storytelling of frontman Max Bemis, that also managed to be heartfelt through the dark humor. Another part of it was that the band’s musical palette went far beyond the typical sounds of the scene from that time. They could throw in a swing rhythm or ragtime piano and make it sound completely at home on an album.
Despite admiring the band and listening heavily to their music, I had never gotten the chance to see them live, so I was thrilled to attend the first of three sold out shows at Los Angeles’ The Regent Theater. I arrived slightly after 8pm last Tuesday night, sadly missing the first opener The Color Fred (project of Fred Mascherino, former Taking Back Sunday guitarist and current Say Anything guitarist), who I have only heard good things about. I was able to watch the set of second opener Footballhead. The band had some local fans and friends in the audience, and laid out some head-bang worthy riffs. When playing more prototypical pop-punk style songs, the group didn’t really leave an impact on me. Where they truly shined was in their heavier, shoegaze-emo tracks like “Let it Die”, calling to mind groups like Sunny Day Real Estate.
Say Anything hit the stage around 9pm, belting out “Belt” and “Spidersong” with nary a breath to take. And in just those moments, it was clear why the band has survived twenty years, despite Bemis’ well-documented battles with his mental health, and sojourns into comics (his run on Moon Knight was perfect, fyi). Bemis is a force as a frontman, giving the audience a performance with every song. He chews on his lyrics, taking a perverse pleasure in delivering them with as much off-kilter gusto as he can. There’s a pantomime to accompany every song, and while his self-effacing lyrics often take aim at his weight, he clearly is in good enough shape to perform throughout the hour and a half set.
While I did not have time to brush up on the band’s full catalogue before the show, tracks like “Hate Everyone” and “Six Six Six” came back to me as the band performed them, with the audience powerfully singing along to every word. New tracks like “Psyche!” ripped live and received an enthusiastic reaction, though nothing compared to classics like “Yellow Cat (Slash) Red Cat”. Following this number, the band took a small break, while Bemis picked up an acoustic guitar and serenaded the audience with one of his earliest songs “A Walk Through Hell” (another one where the audience knew every word).
The band returned and broke into the simmering “Spores”, one of my favorite tracks from In Defense of the Genre. I was surprised they included this slower number, but it let the band warm back up to launch into “So Numb” and the fantastic “Shiksa (Girlfriend)”. A side note: I love how openly Bemis wears his Jewishness on his sleeves and in his lyrics. As a Jew who grew up in the scene, it was rare to hear any parts of our culture included in songs in such a in-your-face way.
It should of course be noted that the rest of the band backed up Bemis perfectly, supporting him without trying to overshadow the lively frontman. The main set closed with a power trio; “Do Better”, “Eloise”, and the band’s break-out song “Alive with the Glory of Love”, the first (and maybe only) swing-punk love song set during the Holocaust. It’s a song that embodies everything that makes Say Anything special, and I await the day it finally earns the band a much-deserved Gold record (hey Doghouse – has it not reached 500k sales yet?). But of course, an encore was inevitable, and the band didn’t disappoint, going with two fan favorites; “Wow, I Can Be Sexual Too” and the crass yet relatable “Every Man has a Molly”. These songs are a reminder of how fearless Bemis can be with his lyrics, letting his every naked thought and desire be exposed to the world.
It may have taken me twenty years, but I’m glad to be able to check Say Anything off my live list. You should too if given the chance. And prep for the show with this playlist.
The Indy Review 