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Twenty Years of Never Take Friendship Personal with Anberlin

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5 months ago

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By: Melanie Williamson (melmaemedia)

There are few alternative albums from the early 2000s that have aged quite as well as Anberlin’s Never Take Friendship Personal. Two decades later, Anberlin are taking the album on the road to celebrate the songs that defined their legacy. With Matty Mullins at the helm this time around, the night balanced nostalgia with reinvention. 

Like many people, I found Anberlin at a dark point in my life. Their music became my lifeline through the pain, frustration, and confusion that I was feeling. Standing in the venue at The Pyrle in Greensboro, NC this past Friday night, it hit me just how much these songs still matter. The emotional impact of the album wasn’t lost with a new vocalist. If anything, it was leading to a new generation of fans, drawn in by him specifically, to experience these songs for the first time.

Kicking off with the album’s namesake, “Never Take Friendship Personal,” the evening was off to the perfect start. Following the explosive opening, the band wasted no time diving into heavy-hitters like “Paperthin Hymn” and “Stationary Stationery.” The band sounded like they hadn’t lost a step at all over the years, and Mullins was fitting right in. Their stage chemistry was truly electric. 

A notable aspect of the evening wasn’t just the hits, though, but the deeper cuts from the album. I’ll be the first to admit that I was very hesitant about him fronting Anberlin, but Mullins truly proved his worth, especially on lesser-known tracks like “(The Symphony of) Blasé” and “A Day Late.” He didn’t try to imitate original vocalist Stephen Christian; instead, he respectfully performed with his own unique range while keeping it truly Anberlin at heart.

Of course, no Anberlin show is complete without “The Feel Good Drag.” The singing of the crowd competed with the band in a rush of nostalgia and adrenaline. They were also sure to mix in a few tracks from other albums as well, showcasing their discography as a whole. It was clear to everyone by the time they closed out on a high note with “Godspeed” that Matty Mullins isn’t erasing Anberlin’s past but instead reigniting it. These songs that once saved us still do. Here’s to 20 more years.

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 Paffgen

The Resistance

High Stakes

Impossible

Godspeed

Anberlin :

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