Florida alternative rockers Anberlin made a stop at The Fillmore in Charlotte this past Friday bringing their high energy show to the Queen City one last time. As I approached the venue, the line to get in was already wrapped around the block and the excitement level was intense. Since announcing they would be disbanding after this tour, Anberlin has been selling out venues as dedicated fans clamor to see them perform one last time.
Shortly after 9 pm among chants of An-ber-lin, An-ber-lin, the band took the stage in front of a capacity crowd kicking off their set with a fan favorite, “Paperthin Hymn.” Expectations were high for this final performance and it was clear from the start that Anberlin was not going to disappoint. Vocalist Stephen Christian was like an energizer bunny jumping and bouncing all over the stage urging the audience to sing a long. The setlist was a good mix of old and new although I was surprised they included only one song off their final album. The band sounded tight with guitarists Joseph Milligan and Christian McAlhaney ripping it up all night long while drummer Nathan Young and bassist Deon Rexroat kept the rhythm section pounding. The energy level did not let up as Anberlin led the crowd through a solid 21 song set which concluded a roof raising version of “Feel Good Drag” during which Christian jumped into the crowd and crowd surfed back to the stage. As expected, the band came out for an encore of one final song “(*Fin)” to end the show. At this point Young threw some drumsticks into the crowd before the band turned their backs to the audience and rose their hands in the air together one final time for their Charlotte fans.
Folks, this is your last chance to see this band perform live so if they are heading to a venue near you, you won’t want to miss it. Anberlin is saying farewell the best way they know how, and that is by giving their fans one last incredible show!
Setlist:
Paperthin Hymn
We Owe This to Ourselves
Never Take Friendship Personal
Readyfuels
Self-Starter
We Are Destroyer
Someone Anyone
Other Side
(The Symphony of) Blasé
Take Me (As You Found Me)
The Unwinding Cable Car
Enjoy the Silence (Depeche Mode cover)
Impossible
Breaking
A Day Late
A Whisper & A Clamor
Dismantle.Repair.
The Resistance (Début)
Godspeed
Feel Good Drag
Encore:
(*Fin)
We would like to thank Rachel Miller from Big Picture Media for the credentials to review the show.
