I’ve seen my fair share of shows, attending roughly two a week for probably the last six or seven years. Even after all those concerts and all those bands, there are few that I’ve seen that match the energy and performance level of Los Angeles’ Say Anything.
This was my sixth time seeing the band live, and after their Long Island show at the Paramount Theater, there was no doubt in my mind that this was their best performance yet.
Although it took a bit of effort to get to the show (the Long Island Railroad stopped servicing the stop where the venue was located), I made it inside just in time to find a packed (and huge) venue screaming for the band. Led by frontman Max Bemis, the band came out and opened their set with “The Writhing South” from their debut album …Is A Real Boy. A couple more songs were played before Bemis (unnecessarily) announced who they were—but it was clear that every single person was there for them.
My favorite part of Say Anything shows is that they always switch up their set for tours. There are some bands where you can practically name every song they will or will not play. This is not the case for this band, as their sets are incredible unpredictable. I thought I was going to hear “Admit It!,” one of the band’s most popular tracks, but instead heard “Night Song,” a lesser-known song from the most recent album, and also heard the title of the tour, Anarchy, My Dear. I did get to hear some of my personal favorites, however, including “Do Better” and “Overbiter,” which perfectly enough featured Bemis’ wife, Sherri Dupree, who sings on the recorded version of the track.
You’d think a 16-song set would be enough for fans of any band, but not Say Anything fans. After the band left the stage, not a single person left, and instead they yelled for an encore. The band came out to play one of their oldest songs, “Belt,” which lead to at least 25+ crowd surfers. (Don’t worry, no one was hurt.)
Transportation issues aside, this was an absolutely perfect evening seeing one of my favorite bands. Other bands have a lot to work up to to match the energy and excitement level of Say Anything at every show.
