JMU Rocks out to Say Anything
Where you have to pay to use the restroom. Seriously
Posted on February 28, 2008
Amid the metal jungle of a drum kit, orange amps and tangles of cords, Say Anything’s lead singer Max Bemis bathed in a blinding white light. The audience could tell he felt the music through his animated movements. The five other members bobbed their hands simultaneously and were constantly moving around the stage, making the audience’s eyes dance almost as much as they were.
Say Anything took the Wilson Hall Auditorium stage with exploding energy Monday night. The entire venue seemed to shake in response to the liveliness of the L.A.-based, self-proclaimed eccentric alternative, Euro-pop band. Every time the music ebbed during the hour-long set, the crowd would cheer and shout to fill the void, demanding more music from the band.
“I have a new respect for their entire group just by how they felt the music,” junior James Armold said. “You have more appreciation when you see a band live.”
Bemis is a stranger to microphone stands. He would much rather hold the mic in his hand and parade around, throwing his hands in the air and shaking his body, while occasionally leaning off the stage to let the crowd chime in.
“I thought they had a lot of energy, a lot of creativity,” said Steven Burbol, a Fredericksburg resident who came to JMU just to see the show. “They’re a great band. But they would have been 10 times better if they played ‘A Walk Through Hell.’ ”
Say Anything’s set list was split between their two albums, making the show about 60 percent Is a Real Boy and 40 percent In Defense of the Genre. Songs the band played included “People Like You are Why People Like Me Exist,” “Alive with the Glory of Love,” “Shiksa (Girlfriend),” “Every Man Has a Molly,” “The Church Channel” and “An Orgy of Critics.”
Keyboard player Parker Case and bassist Alex Kent exchanged a smile during “BabyGirl, I’m a Blur” in the midst of playing a pumping rhythm worthy of persistent claps. When the band played “Wow, I Can Be Sexual Too” the crowd was eager to sing the playful lyrics, while twins Jake and Jeff Turner, along with the other band members, sang a synchronized chorus. “I didn’t know many of their songs, but I definitely had a good time,” said junior Ryan Gearhart.
The anatomy of Say Anything’s songs is surprisingly complex, something generally unheard of in the genre. The instrumentals were in-sync during the show, and many times each instrument broke into a solo that was still orchestrated to flow with the rest of the instruments. Sometimes the band spiced things up with hollow but happy electronic beats and sporadic screaming from Bemis.
Between songs, guitarist Jake Turner spoke to the crowd as if having a casual conversation. When Say Anything announced that they were about to play their last song, the crowd roared with disappointment. But Bemis returned to the stage for a solo act, then Turner joined him and started singing “Spores.” The rest of the band eventually sauntered back on stage for an encore. The band went sans instruments for the rest of “Spores” so they could use their hands to keep the beat.
Say Anything kept thanking and congratulating the crowd for being so great before they left the stage for the night. Before the show, Turner said he wanted the audience to have a good time. “I want them to go to the show and be like, ‘wow, that band was so into their music and having such a great time, and I had a good time because they had a good time.’ ”
Say Anything is excited about their headlining a tour starting March 13 to promote their newest album, In Defense of the Genre.
