This is one of those tours that, as soon as I heard it was happening (last spring), I knew I had to go. Fortunately, Austin, Texas, was on the itinerary. I was so glad I was able to make it. Since I did not get a photo pass, I decided that I’ll link to others photos from Twitter and Instagram.
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What song from a great catalog does a band choose for their Farewell Tour opener? Not sure if they’re opening with this song on the entire tour, but they pulled out an oldie but a goodie in “Never Take Friendship Personal.” It was upbeat, guitar driven and Stephen Christian’s vocals soared above the mix effortlessly. They flowed right into “We Owe This to Ourselves,” which was an indication of how the night went. I saw a timeline for the show prior to its start and noticed that their set was going to be 90 minutes in duration. With so many songs to fit into this farewell experience, it makes sense that they wouldn’t waste a lot of time between songs.
“Paper Thin Hymn” was follwed by “Self-Starter,” which was followed by “Ready Fuels,” which was followed by “We Are Destroyer” (spanning Never Take Friendship Personal to Vital to Blueprints for a Black Market to Lowborn), showing how adroitly they’re seamlessly mixing old and new – as opposed to forging a “throwback” section somewhere in the middle.
The mix was perfect for most of the set – with drums, guitars and vocals all punching. Later in the set it seemed as if Christian’s vocals weren’t as strong. I’m guessing he wisely decided not to push himself too hard (or perhaps the soundman held back), but they weren’t as loud later as they were earlier, which is the only minor criticism of a great, great show. For the most part, they simply soared up above the mix, making Anberlin’s unique sound fill up the room. And, speaking of putting out, the band had to be getting quite the vigorous workout, as they were playing fast, moving about and basically taking no breaks throughout the set.
The high point for me was when “The Unwinding Cable Car” was strummed by the two guitar players sporting acoustics. I got goosebumps and had one of those “soak it in, Doug, this’ll be the last time you hear this live.” Quiet, melodic and well-paced, the song takes it up another notch when the electrics come back in.
Swells of sweet emotion were felt (at least by this audience member and fan) as Anberlin rocked through “Take Me (As You Found Me)” and the “whoa-oh’s” of “Impossible” kept the energy level high and the aggressive yet pop melodic “Breaking” was ecstatic.
While time stands still during a good show, where you absorb the positive feelings, it was hard for me not to look at my watch and realize that an hour had passed and only 30 minutes of live Anberlin were left in my life. It was a conflicted set of emotions, wanting to savor each moment and also hold on and not let it go.
“Dismantle Repair” was another (albeit slower) highlight, which was juxtaposed with the faster and more aggressive lead-off track to New Surrender (“The Resistance”). Just like the great Cities album, the reference to “the patron saint of lost causes” in “Dismantle…” created a nice connection to a song that would surely come later.
I found myself playing a guessing game with a new friend I met at the show, trying to predict what song would come next. I just knew that Anberlin would appropriately end their farewell tour with “Fin.” Fortunately, my experience this October night in Austin wasn’t quite over yet. I still had “Godspeed” and the immensely popular “Feel Good Drag,” with it’s very sharp, cascading and rocking guitar lines adding a real bite.
And then it was the beginning of the end. The band left the stage. It was 10:20 p.m. on October 23. There’d be an encore and then it’d be over. Talk about bittersweet. After a couple moments of audible appreciation, the band reappeared, seeming to soak in the moment themselves with their purposefully slow overhead clapping of appreciation.
The strumming began and the epic uber-great song “Fin” started. Christian belted out the creepy yet emotional lyrics about a story that concluded that “all we are … lost causes.” The song builds and builds and then crashes with a big emotional crescendo that is always captivating. I did my best to try to enjoy it more than unusual, for previously-revealed reasons. Try as a might, I couldn’t pause the song and just hold it. It was dynamic, alive and moving along. The children’s chorus of “patron saints, are we all lost like you?” recording ushered in the wind-down and then it was over. The band got a nice long and loud applause, they bowed, took their photo facing the drum rise (with crowd in the background) and then the lights were on and it was over.
Ahhh. It’s hard to say goodbye to such a good band with such a fresh, unique sound. I’m glad their albums are sonically so pleasing to the ears. They will surely live on for a long, long time.
An Austin shot by me (sorry it’s not so great).
Let’s just say it – the crowd in Austin was totally into this great show.
Fast-paced.
For those about to rock: this information might prove useful.
Action.
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A really good way to say goodbye.
How they ended the show in Austin (even though this one was taken in Chicago).
Not the banner they used in Austin.
Props to opening bands Nominee (whose debut EP was produced by Austin resident and Anberlin guitarist Joey Milligan) and DayShell.
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