Say Anything At Irving Plaza 6.20.2013 [Zumic Review]

Say Anything is a rock band, but they're different from most rock bands. This is mainly due to frontman Max Bemis' manic energy and unique songwriting. But they put on an impressive show, as anyone who has seen them can attest.

Last night Say Anything's tour brought them to Irving Plaza in New York City, where they would be playing two nights in a row. The show began with opening act Hrvrd, who were...interesting. A sort of ambient-mixed-with-hard-rock. Though the two genres seem like they may be opposites, it happened. We saw it.

Eisley was the next group to take the stage. The Texan indie-rock band consists of three sisters, their brother, and their cousin. Also, guitarist/vocalist Sherri DuPree is the wife of Say Anything's Max Bemis. So the show was very much a family affair.

Say Anything's current tour is called the "Rarities and More Tour." So they would be playing a great deal of songs they didn't normally play live. However, everyone in the crowd seemed to know every word to every song. So it wasn't very obvious that these were the less-visited works.

Frontman Max Bemis' formidable stage presence kept the crowd going as the band rocked along with him. Intense energy and strange dance-like motions as well as the thousand people people there made it a very warm room. The band was already sweating profusely by the end of the first few songs. The only people in the crowd who could move freely were those crowdsurfing over our heads.

They threw in a few big crowd-pleasers in with the rarities, including "Alive With the Glory of Love" and "Every Man Has a Molly." Their three-song encore started with a solo acoustic performance by Bemis of "I Want to Know Your Plans," after which the band returned for "Say Anything," and closed with "Walk Through Hell," which only exists on recording in the form of Bemis playing all the parts himself (including keyboard drums) the day he wrote the song. The crowd was particularly excited about this one, and it was a big ending.

Special thanks to Marcus Loechner and Chelsea Gruber for the nice pictures. Mine is the bad one of Eisley.

Check out Say Anything's tour dates to find out when they're coming your way:

Jun 21 Irving Plaza w/ Eisley, Hrvrd - New York, NY
Jun 22 Theatre of Living Arts w/ Eisley, Hrvrd, - Philadelphia, PA
Jun 23 Paradise Rock Club w/ Eisley, Hrvrd, I the Mighty - Boston, MA
Jun 25 Stage AE w/ Eisley, Hrvrd, I the Mighty - Pittsburgh, PA
Jun 26 House Of Blues w/ Eisley, Hrvrd, I the Mighty - Cleveland, OH
Jun 27 St. Andrew's Hall w/ Eisley, Hrvrd, I the Mighty - Detroit, MI
Jun 28 Newport Music Hall w/ Eisley, Hrvrd, I the Mighty - Columbus, OH
Jun 29 Pop's w/ Eisley, Hrvrd, I the Mighty - East St Louis, IL
Jul 01 Summit Music Hall w/ Eisley, Hrvrd, I the Mighty - Denver, CO
Jul 02 In the Venue - Club Sound w/ Eisley, Hrvrd, I the Mighty - Salt Lake City, UT
Jul 05 Showbox at the Market - Seattle, WA
Jul 06 Hawthorne Theater w/ Eisley, Hrvrd, I the Mighty - Portland, OR
Jul 07 The Regency Ballroom w/ Eisley, Hrvrd, I the Mighty - San Francisco, CA
Jul 09 House of Blues w/ Eisley, Hrvrd, I the Mighty - Las Vegas, NV
Jul 10 The Marquee w/ Eisley, Hrvrd, I the Mighty - Tempe, AZ
Jul 11 House of Blues w/ Eisley, Hrvrd, I the Mighty - San Diego, CA
Jul 12 House Of Blues w/ Eisley, Hrvrd, I the Mighty - Los Angeles, CA