Ever seen two people slow-dance in a moshpit circle? In the midst of Anberlin’s signature high energy set, the lights went low and a lone Stephen Christian presented an acoustic rendition of ‘Dismantle.Repair.’, turning the moshpit into a dance floor that had two crowd members gracefully ping-ponging back and forth across in time to the tune. Seconds before that dancing-with-the-stars reenactment occurred, the entire crowd had broken out into a synchronized flashmob of flailing limbs, with an energy that emanated up to the second floor of this famed Sunset strip venue.
Anberlin are already responsible for sparking the crowd into a fiery frenzy tonight, and this fab five of Stephen Christian, Deon Rexroat, Joseph Milligan, Nathan Young and Christian McAlhaney always manage to play every single song they play would be the last time they’d each set foot onstage. This Tuesday night performance is no exception, with people driving far and wide to come and see them.
Anberlin have the sort of fans that will pick apart a set list, and whilst tonight’s set included an ample amount of classics like ‘Feel Good Drag,’ ‘We Owe This to Ourselves’, and ‘Impossible’, they also threw several new tunes & tracks all up in the mix for good measure. The tour promoting the latest release ‘Vital’ has the exact same energy as the album – fierce, forthright, raw, and ready for anything. This really is a vital tour for the band, and in this after haze it was a lucky thing to have seen them at the House of Blues on Sunset, because they’re a stone’s throw away from upgrading to arenas.
LAUREN NOVIK