Uni applications - annoying.
But yes, sorry. Another Anberlin post.
I wrote this for Journo class and I thought I might as well share ahhaha.
Clap your hands, all ye children
No whispers or clamours when Anberlin arrives in Auckland.
It seems rare to hear of good, friendly musicians in the news today. Normally every band gets caught up in one scandal or another, and it’s tiring to always hear these controversies daily. So it’s like a breath of fresh air to have Florida’s nicest rock stars, Anberlin, making their way to our shores, rocking it out at the iconic Auckland Powerstation Thursday 20th of August.
Stephen Christian in the tightest pair of skinny leg jeans I’ve seen on a male, a fantastic buzzing lights backdrop, and the intense bass noise make it all worthwhile to be pressed up against the rails amongst the elbows and sweat of others.
The all-ages gig created some barriers for fans. The Powerstation is known to sell alcohol in the bar downstairs, meaning that if you can’t legally drink, you need to get upstairs. So while downstairs the R18s were on the floor, close enough to inappropriately grab the band members (which one person did as Stephen Christian leaned into the crowd), the under 18s (or the ones that forgot to bring ID to get downstairs) struggled with being distant from the band and pinned against the railings. And not surprisingly, there seemed to be more under age fans than of older. Bless Anberlin and their compassionate hearts; during their set they announced that after the show they asked the venue holders to open up downstairs so that their youngster fans could still meet with the band. It’s fantastic that despite already being an intimate venue, Anberlin still want to make the move to meet every single person.
Two sets of encores later, the band is shaking hands, signing shirts and taking photos with small groups of people in a casual friendly atmosphere; though by that stage, some of them looked like they were down on energy. Deon, the band’s bassist, says that they only arrived in Auckland at 11pm the day before and are leaving for Perth in the morning, so there is a good amount of gratefulness towards their efforts.
Overall it was a fantastic performance from Anberlin, both on and off the stage. Fast paced, energetic, and a bit of fun, the crowd were fully immersed in the music. The only downside however? Waiting another few years before their next concert in Aotearoa.
