It’s a stretch to say that Say Anything, a five-piece rock band from Los Angeles, has been “together” for the last 13 years. Since its initial formation, the band has a long list of ex-members that have revolved around front man Max Bemis. Though Bemis is the only current member to have been around for the group’s earliest days, when the band went by “Sayanything” and sounded more punk than pop, he radiated enough energy on the House of Blues stage last night to make up for any lack of band chemistry and create an electric atmosphere in the packed venue.
The band’s latest stop in Cleveland was part of its “Rarities and More” tour, so fans of Say Anything’s oldest music were treated to songs from some of the band’s earliest records, like Baseball: An Album by Sayanything and the Menorah/Majora EP. Entering the show stage left after his band mates had already started the opening number, Bemis stood at the head of the stage with hands raised and eyes closed as he soaked in the massive audience response. His boundless energy presented itself in most all of the 16 songs the band performed, like “Crush’d” and “The Futile,” the latter of which was the first — though far from last — song to have most of the audience singing along at the top of its collective lungs. After closing out its set with fan-favorite “Alive With the Glory of Love,” Bemis returned alone to kick off the encore acoustically with “A Boston Peace.” Bemis hopped off stage at the end of Say Anything’s last song, “A Walk Through Hell,” to mingle with his adoring fans, but not before making each person pinky swear that they’d be back for the band’s next stop. Judging from everyone’s enthusiasm for the charismatic singer and his band throughout the night, it’s likely a promise that most in attendance will keep.
This article appears in Jun 26 – Jul 2, 2013.