Against Me!

The first thing I always hear when Against Me! comes up in conversation is how whoever I am talking with “only listens to older albums,” and this isn’t in the “I’m an annoying hipster and am better than you for only listening to older material” kind of way.  Against Me! is one of those bands that has an unbelievably dedicated fan base, and their show with Screaming Females and Lemuria at First Avenue June 21^st really highlighted that.

Sadly, I only showed up as Screaming Females were going on.  (What can I say, I’m not entirely used to all ages/early shows and simply didn’t leave in time.  My apologies to Lemuria!) I hadn’t heard Screaming Females before, but was nonetheless impressed.  Front-woman Marisa Paternoster came on stage in a modest black vintage dress and proceeded to shred and scream throughout their entire set.  The crowd was receptive, and the music was ample.  Just about every song featured Paternoster whipping out some insane highly technical guitar solo. I personally prefer stripped down rock songs, but her shear ability compensated.  One thing is certain; that girl knows how to play.

Once Against Me! took the stage, the crowd  came to life. The amount you can possibly enjoy a show at 1st Ave is inversely proportional to the number of people in attendance.  Considering the bands huge following, there was a large crowd, and naturally it was quite difficult to find a spot that was both comfortable and had a decent view of the stage. Like I mentioned before, this was an all ages show and Against Me! is one of the instances where an all-ages show makes sense.  The band has an ardent following of once angst-ridden teenagers who have been on board since the beginning, as well as much younger kids still fighting through their teenage years.   I found myself towards the back of the main floor, behind two gentlemen with “Staff” across the back of their shirts.  It soon became very obvious why these men were there; the crowd was insane.  From the first few notes of “Cliché Guevara” almost the entire floor started to move.

I always find it interesting to go to a show and watch the crowd.  I’m endlessly amazed at how quickly a room of moshing kids can work together.  The second anyone lost their footing and fell, four or five people would instantly be there to pull the person up before they could be trampled.  On several occasions I witnessed people forming human shields to protect people tying their shoes, and it’s that kind of thoughtfulness and camaraderie that makes going to shows fun.  People were dancing at their absolute capacity, and everyone was clearly having a great time.   However, there were points in the show where the room was eerily still.

The crowd dynamic was unlike anything I had ever seen before. For some songs just about everyone on the floor would be moving, going balls-to-the-walls jumping and screaming along with frontman Tom Gabel, with significant pits forming on several occasions, while other songs, namely from the newest album, were met with almost disinterest.  Sure, there were still a few people sprinkled throughout the crowd that held the energy together, and yeah, considering how hard everyone was rocking, it was understandable to need a break every once in a while, but this was uncanny.  At first I shrugged it off, sure the newest album isn’t received as well as older stuff, but then I realized that the album in question, White Crosses had been out for quite a while.  In fact, this tour was their second time out in support of the album.  Fans had clearly had time to learn the songs, so it wasn’t a matter of unfamiliarity.

While I have personally only listened to White Crosses a couple times through, it is drastically different from previous releases.  Some amount of the edge that I associate with Against Me! was undoubtedly lost, and there are many things contributing to this.  For starters Gabels vocals involve a lot more actual singing, with his distinct “rough voice” and screams appearing far less than in the past.  There are many factors pushing the band in a new direction, time, personal lives, and let’s face it; it’s difficult to keep the exact same sound going for as long as they have.  There has to be growth, some change, and some of the time this change rubs fans that have fallen in love with that original sound the wrong way.  That’s understandable, right?

The band was entertaining and fun.  Drummer Jay Weinberg was perfectly sloppy, an impressive combination of precision and just beating the shit out of the drums.  He sang along for a lot of the songs from behind his drum set, and was clearly enjoying himself.  Bassist Andrew Seward and guitarist James Bowman were stoic and cool, and really held it down.  Gabel flashed coy smiles to the crowd throughout the set.  Clearly this band enjoys playing together, and this enjoyment comes through in their performance.  It feeds the crowds energy, which in turn feeds the band’s.  Overall the show was incredibly high energy, and it appeared that just about everyone involved walked away happy.

Despite evident impartial opinions towards the new album, fans didn’t hesitate to show their appreciation for the songs they knew and loved. This crowd was one of the most energetic, enthusiastic, and downright fun groups I have been a part of in a while.   It is really easy for a fan to pick up a new album, dislike it, and then write off the band entirely from then on.  Against Me!’s fans, however, aren’t about to let that happen.  After all, when you’re dancing that hard, a break every once in a while comes as a relief.