The pop-punk band Say Anything will honor the tenth anniversary of In Defense of the Genre with a special tour that includes two-night stands in 19 different cities. For the shows, the band will play its first three albums (2001’s Baseball: An Album by Say Anything, 2004’s …Is a Real Boy and 2007’s
In Defense of the Genre) in their entirety.

That tour comes to town on Dec. 16 and 17 for gigs at the Beachland Ballroom.

“Well, this should be the most epic series of shows we’ve ever put on in terms of the ‘legacy’ of our early work,” says singer Max Bemis in a press release announcing the tour. “I predict all-out catharsis in these intimate settings and an awesome experience losing myself in the narrative of each of these albums played in their entirety.”

A fan club presale is currently underway, and tickets go on sale to the general public at noon on Friday.

This article appears in Aug 16-22, 2017.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.