Anberlin Rocks The Barnato!

Story and Photos: Spencer Fleming

Anberlin continued their album anniversary tour in celebration of Never Take Friendship Personal, now in it's 21st year, at the Barnato in Omaha Sunday (5.24). Fellow emo-post-hardcore band Emery and pop-rockers Watashi WA were on the bill as direct support.

If there was ever an album that I knew every word Never Take Friendship Personal is definitely one of them. Being such huge fan I even caught the first leg of the tour in Kansas City last year. I was so stoked when I saw Anberlin was coming to Omaha and to a venue so close to my house!

I'm not sure what the Barnato capacity is, but this show was definitely pushing the limits. From wall to wall fans in their mid-30s to early 50s gathered in celebration of one of the 2000s best albums. The place felt like a sauna by the time Anberlin took the stage. With an all-black theme the band was dressed to kill. As soon as the crunchy riff of the title track "Never Take Friendship Personal" hit the crowd was ready to throw down. Matty Mullins grabbed the mic and never looked back. The party was in full swing!

Losing a lead singer can be a crushing blow for a band, but Matty Mullins from Memphis May Fire does such an awesome job honoring Anberlin's legacy. He's so humble in his approach, which I really appreciate. Rather than taking over and putting the spotlight on himself he recognizes that he's a huge fan of the band and was given a special opportunity to keep the music alive. After the first song Matty addressed the crowd and said "I'm Matty Mullins and the four guys behind me are Anberlin". Such a pro move.

Matty and the boys ripped through Never Take Friendship Personal with force before treating the crowd to some classic Anberlin cuts plus one newer track. Matty explained to the crowd that when he joined the band he received a dropbox full of demos from the band's earlier days. He started writing lyrics to "High Stakes" and now the band gets to play it every night. What a cool opportunity to bridge the gap between classic Anberlin and their next chapter. I really like the song and I'm looking forward to hearing more from Anberlin with Matty. I'll always hold Stephen in the highest regard, but Matty is doing an awesome job keeping the band alive, hopefully for years to come.

If you missed this show Anberlin will be touring with Switchfoot later this fall and they have a stop at the Steelhouse on October 11. I highly suggest checking that show out. Anberlin puts on an amazing live show. Snag your tickets now, you won't regret it!

Thanks to Anberlin management for photo access

Thanks for reading and we'll see you at the next one!

Anberlin

Emery

Watashi WA