Say Anything // Live @ Andrew J Brady Music Center // 11.15.24 -

Article and Photos by: Linda Carlson

Cincinnati, OH – The crowd kept growing at Cincinnati’s Andrew J Brady Music Center for Say Anything’s 20 Years of… Is A Real Boy tour. Openers Social Animals and Angel Du$t gave engaging performances that readied the crowd for the headliner. By the time Say Anything hit the stage, the general admission crowd was brimming with fans.

Social Animals is a young midwestern (roots in Duluth Minnesota) alternative rock band with grungy-emo elements. Vocalist Dedric Clark brings an angst and emotion to the stage that is palpable and relatable. Joined by guitarist Toney Petersen, bassist Roger Whittet and drummer Boyd Smith, the band’s performance was memorable, leaving the audience wanting more than a mere 30-minute opening set.

Next up was Angel Du$t, a hardcore punk band with satisfying melodic vibes, formed in 2013 from members of Turnstile and Trapped Under Ice. On this night, frontman Justice Tripp came on stage wearing head and face covering for the first song, which didn’t inhibit him in the least from relentlessly moving about the expansive stage. He rarely kept still, and even at one point left the stage to engage with the audience at the rails. Daniel Star (guitar), Steve Marino (guitar), Zechariah Ghostribe (bass), and Thomas Cantwell (drums) rounded out the lineup. Notably, Ghostribe was particularly entertaining, executing acrobatic jumps throughout the set.

The crowd was ready for headliner Say Anything, who hit the stage with a burst of energy that never let up. The band is celebrating the 20^th anniversary of their 2004 album …Is A Real Boy.

Lead singer and founding member Max Bemis could not have been more dynamic. He is a force on stage, uncompromising in his delivery, and fully aware of the crowd cheering the band on.

Say Anything notably took a hiatus in 2018, returning in 2023 with new music and a new album, …Is Committed. The band’s line-up has been fluid over the years, with some band members taking reprieves and subsequently returning. Bemis gave a shoutout on this night to their new drummer, Robinson, from Ohio. “His parents are here!”

The band effectively interjected acoustic songs into the set. After “An Orgy of Critics,” band members left the stage while Bemis performed a powerful solo acoustic version of “Walk Through Hell.” Afterwards, he said that the next song was about a fake person, and told the fans that if they knew the words, he was going to make them sing. The crowd acoustically sang the intro to “Every Man Has A Molly”… and then the band jumped and rocket it out.

The band was dynamic throughout the set: