I have to write a review - not about the record, but a show about the record.
It’ll be lengthy, but I’m having anxiety about it…
And the review begins with a show, and songs, of rebellion.
In 2004, when this album was released, I was living in New Jersey - where I would reside, more or less, until 2010. I was on the mend from a relationship that had ended acrimoniously, testing the waters of a new one, and in the car heading to Cape Cod with my roommate and then girlfriend for a weekend away. That was just a thing we did, I guess? A random trip to Cape Cod? On the way, Chris, my roommate and best friend, mentioned that we needed to find a music store (remember those?) so he could pick up an album by a band called Say Anything. He’d heard good things about it, and wanted to check it out. A significant amount of our discretionary funds were allotted to purchasing music in the form of compact discs.
When we finally found a store that had it in stock, we slid the disc into his car’s CD player and the response was immediate. Visceral and melodic, jarring as a rock and roll album, intricate and surprising as something coming from a quote/unquote emo band. The vibe of the music itself was intangible, in the way that surprising and truly new music is and can be, but somehow it was seeping into our bones in a distressingly immediate way. There was poetry, incomprehensible in its vocabulary. There was vulnerability, instantaneously accessible, but experiences so particular and dense that the autobiography gave it a fairytale-like feel. This was an album that demanded you learn its intricacies in exacting detail if for no other reason than to sing along, to exorcise your demons by screaming, “SHIT/Nothing makes sense/So I won’t think about it” as many times as you needed to. That it was, essentially, both a refutation of the current state of the music scene and an instant classic in that same scene only added to the mythos and importance of what …Is A Real Boy represented.
Last night’s show at The Andrew J. Brady Music Center started somewhat quietly with 80’s-inspired rock/pop act Social Animals opening. For anyone familiar with the Cincy scene, they reminded me of our very own Bear The Moon, and their 30 minutes were spent well, working through a set of shimmering guitars and Connor Oberst-esque vocals. It was a solid performance from a band that I’ll definitely be checking out this weekend.
Angel Du$t acted as direct support, their vocalist arriving on stage in gloves, a zipped-up coat, and black balaclava that were quickly shed - it was very obviously hot as hell, but hey, it looked cool. What followed was a chaotic mix of hardcore, indie rock, pop punk, and straight-up pop rock that was as entertaining as it was genre-defying, but the fans they had in the audience were ready to roll with it, circle pitting and jumping along throughout their set.
After an overlong space between sets, Say Anything jumped straight into it, playing the intro to the record and launching directly into “Belt,” a rock/emo call to action with a Warriors-esque call and response and immediate acknowledgment that we were all there to sing along, together. From the back of the room, where my Old Man Status tends to keep me in situations where I don’t have a camera in my hand, I was able to see the joy, the intensity, and pure, unbridled energy of an entire crowd singing, screaming, shouting along to what is arguably one of the more important records to come out in the mid-aughts. The content is, admittedly, intense and weird and funny and dense. That it’s as easy to sing along with, as indelible as it is, continues to be a wild reminder of the talent and intelligence of the person and people behind its creation.
The crowd itself seemed to skew young - and maybe that’s because I was on the older end of the target demo for the record when it first released - but it was an interesting mix of people nonetheless. Also, not for nothing, but it was super cool seeing Fred Mascherino on stage with the band - you’d know him from his time in Taking Back Sunday, probably, though he’s been part of the scene for longer than a lot of Say Anything’s fans have been alive.
Questions of mortality aside, celebrating 20 years of such a seminal release is both a cause for reflection and appreciation. The album’s closer, “Admit It!!!” remains, to this day, one of the most strangely prescient anthems to come into existence during my time as an independent music fan. At 23, I was somewhat aimless - as most of us at that age typically are. At 43, I’m somewhat less aimless, and starting to maybe actually figure out what I’m supposed to be doing both in a cosmic sense and in a physical sense. I admire that, when …Is A Real Boy released, Max Bemis was so loudly able to proclaim, “I’m proud of my life/And the things that I’ve done/I’m proud of myself/And the loner I’ve become.” I don’t think I’ve become a loner, not really. But I am at a point where I can say that there are more things that I’m proud of than not.
My voice was shot this morning after singing along for the entirety of Say Anything’s set. I honestly don’t remember the last time that was the case. Judging by the dancing, singing, and vibrancy on display last night, from my perch in the back of the room, a lot of other folks are feeling great today, even as they’re walking around with a sore throat, or, if they’re my age, maybe a sore back. My sincere hope is that, if you’re a fan of the band, or even just this particular record, and this show is coming to a town near you, that you’ll make the time to experience it for yourself. Just make sure you hydrate, maybe stretch a bit. Then show up and sing along with everyone else. You’ll be happy you did.
