ANBERLIN SETLIST

Never Take Friendship Personal
Paperthin Hymn
Stationary Stationery
(The Symphony of) Blasé
A Day Late
The Runaways
Time & Confusion
The Feel Good Drag
Audrey, Start the Revolution!
A Heavy-Hearted Work of Staggering Genius
Dance, Dance Christa Päffgen

Encore:
The Resistance
High Stakes
Impossible
Godspeed

COPELAND SETLIST

Hold Nothing Back
No One Really Wins
Choose the One Who Loves You More
Pin Your Wings
Sleep
Kite
Don't Slow Down
Love Is a Fast Song
You Have My Attention
You Love to Sing

THE DANGEROUS SUMMER SETLIST

Gravity
F**k Them All
No One's Gonna Need You More
The Permanent Rain
Coming Home
Where I Want to Be
Way Down

ANBERLIN TOUR DATES

Mar. 27 Chicago, IL House of Blues
Mar. 28 St. Louis, MO Delmar Hall
Mar. 29 Milwaukee, WI The Rave / Eagles Club
Mar. 30 Detroit, MI The Majestic Theatre
Mar. 31 Columbus, OH The Athenaeum Theatre
Apr. 2 Charlotte, NC Neighborhood Theatre
Apr. 3 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
Apr. 4 St Petersburg, FL Jannus Live
Apr. 5 Fort Lauderdale, FL Revolution Live
Apr. 6 Lake Buena Vista, FL House of Blues
Jun. 4 Porto Alegre, Brazil Araújo Vianna Auditorium
Jun. 6 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil Fundição Progresso
Jun. 7 São Paulo, Brazil Audio
Jun. 8 São Paulo, Brazil Audio
Jun. 20 Kansas City, KS Not Just A "Phase" Fest
Oct. 4 Princeton, AL Furnace Fest 2025
Jan. 22 Downtown Miami, FL E.N.D. Cruise Miami

Two retro celebrations and a new beginning–

Two Florida alt-rock groups known best for their output during the early 00’s, Anberlin (from Winter Haven FL) and Copeland (from nearby Lakeland FL) have taken to the road together to collectively turn the wayback machine to 2005 to celebrate twenty years of their respective landmark albums, and the tour made a stop in midtown Kansas City at the Madrid Theatre.

Anberlin celebrates two decades of their breakthrough album, “Never Take Friendship Personal”, while Copeland celebrates their own 2005 release, “In Motion”, but for one of the bands, it marks a new beginning as well. Anberlin formed back in 2002, but it’s been just since late 2023 when vocalist Stephen Christian announced he was on indefinite hiatus from touring, and Memphis May Fire vocalist Matty Mullins would be stepping into the role.

But to get things started on this three-band bill, Maryland band The Dangerous Summer would kick things off, (taking over from the previously announced Madina Lake). Their newest full-length is 2024’s “Gravity” (via the Italian label Rude Records) and the band is on this short run before heading to the UK in July for shows.

The band’s punk-pop set was short but fiery, with vocalist AJ Perdomo saying how appreciative they were to be on the bill and to have made friends with the other band members. The band’s had its drama and breakups over the years (who wouldn’t, being initially signed when they were high school seniors) but there’s seems to be a renewed focus, and the newer music has been received well.

Next up was Copeland, who’s middle slot left exactly enough time to play the ten tracks on their second full-length, “In Motion” from 2005. The band’s sound is more atmospheric and layered than straight-ahead, and singer Aaron Marsh shifted between guitar and piano effortlessly. Marsh mentioned the MySpace era the album dates from, and the friendship between both bands, that began when everyone was teenagers.

The emo power pop band has had its share of some drama as well, breaking up after a farewell tour in 2008, only to reform just over five years later. 2019’s “Blushing” is their latest studio full-length, their sixth overall and second since reuniting, but they also released the compilation, “Revolving Doors” in 2022 as well.

The musical mood changed after a set shift as an energized and intense Anberlin took to an initially darkened stage to close out the evening, beginning their headlining set with 2005’s “Never Take Friendship Personal” played in its entirety.

The band has a devoted fan base and seeing the familiar faces of guitarists Joseph Milligan and Christian McAlhaney, bassist Deon Rexroat, and drummer Nathan Young was counterbalanced by hearing the 2005 songs sung by Mullins, who managed to pull off walking that fine line of honoring the nostalgic past of the band, while loudly also guiding them into their new (and harder-sounding) future.

The band released “Nevertake” a few weeks ago, a studio re-recording with Mullins on vocals, that revisits the “Never Take Friendship Personal” album, so fans had a general idea of how the songs now sound, before the actual show. This follows up their “Vega” release, which compiled two earlier EPs with two songs that featured Mullins’ vocals.

Following the main set, a four-song encore ensued, and the night would end fittingly with 2007’s “Godspeed” and Mullins emoting Christian’s lyric from the song, “Godspeed to all you're after, is this a life left just to remember?”

A mix of a look to the past, and a glimpse into their still unfolding futures, Anberlin and Copeland proved to be as worthy and comfortable a musical combination as can be, for two FL bands that have known each other for decades.

And Anberlin fans get another chance to see the band live in June, as they’ve been announced as on the lineup of this year’s installment of the (Not Just a) Phase Fest on June 20^th at Legends Field.

All Photos below by JASON DOMINGUES

(click on any image to enlarge and see in full)