Say Anything 2.25.08

Say Anything at James Madison University, 2.25.08.

Say Anything played a one-off show at the end of their tour at JMU. The opening band was a local jam band called Electric Baby. They played for an entire hour and it was difficult to not tear my ears off. Luckily I was able to doze off for awhile until they finished.

The show was advertised as reserved seating, since it was in a theater. However, as soon as Electric Baby left the stage, the audience was allowed to move about. Of course, this quickly turned into people rushing towards the stage, where there was not enough room for everyone. We decided to stay towards the back so we could see and just stand at our seats.

As Say Anything took the stage, the recorded intro to "Belt" played through the speakers, and the band tore into the track. The set was roughly as follows:

Belt
Woe
Skinny, Mean Man
The Church Channel
The Futile
Shiksa (Girlfriend)
Baby Girl, I'm A Blur
Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too
Every Man Has A Molly
People Like You Are Why People Like Me Exist
Alive With The Glory Of Love
***
Vexed
Spores
An Orgy Of Critics

The band had incredible energy throughout the set, and Max Bemis alternated between being congenial with the audience and ridiculing them. The crowd varied in the songs they knew - some people clearly had only heard ...Is A Real Boy, while others seemed to be newcomers. I was surprised to hear "The Church Channel," since Hayley Williams' voice is such a large part of the song. However, Bemis handled it well and the song was not lacking. Overall, it was easily one of the best shows I have seen in a long time.