Friday night, December 20, 2019 was a homecoming, or a band reunion, if you will at the House of Blues Orlando. The majority in attendance came to see the Central Florida band, Anberlin. After seven studio albums and over a million records sold, the band broke up in 2014, reuniting in 2018.

First to hit the stage at 7:00pm was Carrollhood, a band composed of Anberlin’s Drummer, Nathan Young, who was also a past member of Yellowcard, Tim McTague, of the band Underoath, and Reed Murry, formally of Say Anything. Carrollwood took to a dark stage which remained very dark their entire set. It was impossible to see who was actually behind the drum kit. The 3-piece band rocked out as the House of Blues crowd continued to fill up to a near capacity. Their set was short and sweet, lasting about 30 minutes.

Band:

Tim McTague – Guitar

Nathan Young – Drums

Reed Murray – Keyboards

The next band up was Loose Talk, who came on stage at 7:40pm. This is a side project for 3 members of Anberlin: Christian McAlhaney, Deon Rexroat, and drummer, Nathan Young. Loose Talk started when Anberlin disbanded in 2014. Their stage seemed to be lit a little better than the opening band, but still very dark. They were very tight, and it was evident they had been playing together for some time. Their newest single “Iron Heel” was just released, and a new EP is scheduled to be released in 2020. The highlight of the set was the third song that featured the vocals of the mysterious Geri X on “Change”. Loose Talk is categorized as a punk band with hard hitting drums and lyrics.

Band:

Deon Rexroat – Bass

Christian McAlhaney – Guitar

Nathan Young – Drums

Geri X – Vocals

Setlist:

Ryan Key of Yellowcard came out at 8:20pm. Joining him onstage was former base player and singer/songwriter of Yellowcard, Peter Mosley. The two played a 45-minute acoustic set. Yellowcard was a punk band, but the songs on this night had a different flair being performed on acoustic guitars with the audience singing every verse. Key said that originally, he was planning on performing alone then he ran into Peter and their reunion was magical. The stage was well lit, and the two performed as one. They played from the Yellowcard catalog. This was a nice change of pace as the night had two loud and dark punk bands proceeding this duo.

Band:

Ryan Key – Acoustic Guitar

Peter Mosley – Acoustic Guitar

Setlist:

At approximately 9:30pm, Anberlin exploded on stage with extravagant lighting and high energy. Lead singer Stephen Christian covered the entire stage in perpetual motion. The crowd was in a frenzy, as this is what they had paid admission to see. Their excitement was feeding off the performance in front of them. During the third song, Christian left the stage and climbed the barrier, singing with the audience during “Paperthin Hymm.” It was a magical moment as the admiration was mutual between him and the fans.

I spoke to fans in the front row as we waited for Anberlin to take the stage. The excitement was real and there were youngsters in the audience experiencing their first concert. Previously, the band was labelled a Christian band, but Anberlins’ members dismiss that definition in interviews: “A Christian Band? Members can have Christian faith, but can a band have faith?”

I had not seen this band when they were at the peak of their fame, and it’s hard to imagine that they ended it in 2014. Maybe a four-year hiatus was just what they needed, and I can see that this band still has a lot in the tank for their future. With seven studio albums recorded, over a million sold, and a strong fanbase, they definitely have paid their dues. On this night, 2,000 in attendance welcomed them back. This seasoned band is going strong and their time is now.

Band:

Stephen Christian – Vocals, Guitar
Deon Rexroat – Bass
Joseph Milligan – Guitar
Nathan Young – Drums
Christian McAlhaney – Guitar

Setlist:

Encore:

(*Fin)

MNPRmagazine Published Review of Anberlin