Concert Review: Anberlin, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Straylight Run, There for Tomorrow

Venue: Trocadero Theatre, Philadelphia, PA
Date: November 1, 2008
Review by: Eric Pettersson

Tonight was a night of two things I have never seen before and one thing that I have seen way too often. The first is a band (There for Tomorrow) patronizing the crowd to a sickening degree and having the crowd go along with it. The second is a crowd chanting the band’s name so strongly that it kept that band (Anberlin) from being able to start their next song at least five times. The third, unfortunately, is a band with incredible talent get neglected by the crowd because their energy was too indie for the rock and/or pop crowd (in this case, Straylight Run, but I’ve also seen it happen to As Cities Burn, mewithoutYou, City & Colour, and more).

It really was pathetic to me to see There for Tomorrow stand on stage and say “We’re a bunch of Orlando boys, but we want to congratulate your Phillies on winning the World Series.” I mean, that was respectful, but when their Jonas-Brothers-look-a-like singer continued bantering about how the Rays don’t matter and boo them and yay Phillies, he started to feel more like a used car salesman, standing there saying whatever he thought we wanted to hear in order to get us to like his band, than he did a good rock singer sincerely congratulating us. The crowd ate it up for some reason, but I was very put off by it, and it kept me from being able to fully enjoy their wonderfully mediocre and repetitive blend of emo rock.

But nothing could ruin my time watching Straylight Run, not even the fact that the otherwise rowdy audience wasn’t feeling them. From the three new songs off their EP, Un Mas Dos, to the old favorites like “Existentialism on Prom Night” or “Hands in the Sky (Big Shot),” their heart and passion for creative music was shining through. John Nolan’s voice cried out with even more sincerity and intensity than on their studio albums, allowing me to finally believe for the first time that this really is the same guy who used to be in Taking Back Sunday (although he was obviously not quit as screamo this time around). The set ended too quickly (for someone who thought they should have been headlining), but it was still very enjoyable and a great performance.

Scary Kids Scaring Kids seemed like another joke. The music was good. They played some of the heaviest screamo I’ve heard, and they played it well. Their vocalist’s screams were spot-on, the guitars were great, and so were the drums. But their attitude… way too tough guy. The keyboardist pounded is chest like Tarzan or King Kong at least once every two or three songs. That alone was enough to make me laugh at them, but the rest of the band wasn’t much better. Especially coming after the honest and humble show from Straylight Run, this seemed very dramatic, cocky, and unnecessary.

This attitude was, however, avoided by Anberlin. Despite chants of “Anberlin” after every song, they still seemed genuinely insecure about receiving so much praise. Stephen Christian backed away and told the crowd to stop, blushing and laughing in disbelief. Somehow, they made it through a set totaling over an hour long of new and old songs, pulling mostly from Cities and New Surrender, with a few thrown in from Never Take Friendship Personal just for good measure. It was an incredible show, especially for those who could sing along the entire time (as most of the room was doing). I, however, could not, so towards the end I started to get a little bored, since Anberlin songs aren’t especially known for their diversity of sound, but it was still fun for me and it really just made me wish I knew more of the words. One song ended by transitioning into Stephen singing the words “In the name of love.” No big surprise there. The guy is basically going to be the next Bono anyway if he keeps going in the direction he’s already been moving. Not to mention the creepy similarity between their voices and faces, Stephen and Bono both have strong hearts for social justice driven by their faith in Christ, which has led each of them to be involved in trips to third world countries and in political and social activism. So with Anberlin having just signed to a major, expect that sort of musical and cultural transcendence to come sometime within the next ten years. One bad strike for Stephen and Anberlin: they’re not Irish.

  • Post Info

  • Posted by: Eric
  • Posted on: Friday, November 21st, 2008
  • Category: Album Reviews