“Cities” marks Anberlin’s first headlining tour, along with rock band Jonezetta. The first thing that came to mind with mention of this tour was loud music and crazy fans, and I can assure you their concert was lacking neither!
The Mississippi natives of Indie/Rock band Jonezetta kicked off the night with Welcome Home. The crowd initially seemed a bit dull, but that no doubt changed, and enthusiasm for Jonezetta was quickly evident! The band members certainly weren’t deprived of energy, and they were running and jumping all over the stage. Their set included popular tracks from their debut album, “Popularity”, including Man in a 3K Suit, Backstabber, and of course, the title track, Popularity. There was quite a dramatic ending to their performance during the final song, Get Ready (Hot Machete), when lead singer Robert Chisolm threw (yes, literally) his microphone - stand and all - down and basically dropped his guitar just prior to leaving the stage. I’m not entirely sure what that was all about, but the rest of the crowd seemed to enjoy it! Melodically, they sounded pretty solid; however, it was nearly impossible to hear the lyrics to the songs, which was slightly disappointing!
After much anticipation, Anberlin was finally up! They launched their set with A Whisper & A Clamor, and continued with a mix of songs from their three albums. In all its cautionary sincerity, Adelaide seemed to be the crowd favorite. Other songs included Godspeed, Dismantle Repair, and Never Take Friendship Personal. Their songs carried a slightly rockier feel when sung live, which was interesting to see. After singing their last song, Anberlin left the stage, only to come back a moment later for an encore, singing the appropriately titled (*Fin). I’d have to say this final song was the highlight of their set for me, as it was one of the more mellow songs they sang, and seeing it live, it just had an overall feeling of sincerity. The stage performance of the band, lead singer Stephen Christian in particular, was energetic for sure, but slightly peculiar. Personally, at times, it felt like they were trying too hard to make their performance “cool” and made it somewhat cheesy in the process.
On the downside of the tour, before you get to hear Anberlin, you have to stand through the other two bands (Meg & Dia and Bayside), whose music and performances were fairly unappealing (including some slight profanity from the lead singer of Bayside). As for Anberlin, they made no attempt to mention their faith, and it felt like the focus was entirely on pleasing the crowd. Add the fact that the show was in a bar (with a portion of the crowd slightly intoxicated), and you can get a glimpse at why I was a bit unimpressed overall! If you can dismiss those things, Anberlin & Jonezetta’s performances were pretty solid, and I’d recommend catching them if they’re near you!
Article by Ariel Body
