Let us not gloss over front-person Laura Jane Grace public transition from male to female. This is another blow that many bands would not be able to overcome, but Against Me! is not a normal band. Having followed them from their early days, I remember the polarizing feeling the band brought to the punk scene by simply signing to a larger indie label, then the backlash of signing to a major label, etc. I remember going to shows at Fitzgerald’s where kids were playing Against Me! songs for free outside because they felt ticket prices ($12) were too high for the shows. I also remember Grace coming down in a hoodie and singing along with them. Everything taken in stride.

So now we see the turbulence and legend surrounding Against Me! That is great to get a few folks in the door, or in some cases, drive them out of the door, but did the band still deliver those performances that made you forget the world outside and scream along throughout the night?

The first thing I was surprised to see was a group of fans from their mid-30s to mid-teens packed into the Warehouse Live studio. The energy was high for it being a school night and the band not taking the stage until after 11 pm. So how would it go?

The band took the stage, under bright white lights, and greeted the audience with a “Hello, Houston!” From there, they instantly kicked into Transgender Dysphoria Blues and, outside of a couple of quick thank-yous, did not stop until they tore through the entire 21-song set list and a 4-song, unscripted, encore. The energy was more alive than ever.

The interesting thing was the glow on Grace’s face and her move to the center of the stage. In the past, bassist Andrew Seward held down the center while Grace was stationed stage right, facing across the stage. It makes you question how much more comfortable she is with being herself now.

As always, Seward and guitarist James Bowman, got the audience together for the sing-a-longs. Grace provides the story for the songs, but the energy of an Against Me! set flows through Bowman and Seward. New drummer, Jay Weinberg, did not miss a beat, which was impressive with a set that spans the band’s entire catalog. Even after nearly 2 years on the job, it was an impressive show of knowledge and chops.

For those unfamiliar with Against Me!, the lyrics are not the run of the mill repetitive sing-a-long songs, but long singer-songwriter-esque tales. The fact that the audience sings all of the words back to the band is impressive. Most songs have choruses, but some are straight stories and regardless of format, the words are known by most everyone in the audience. The feeling and belief is still there. “Reinventing Axl Rose” has been a polarizing song for the band, but as the band dipped its toes into the major label world, they came back to the indie scene and have not missed a step in keeping the feeling alive.

It sounds hokey, I know it does, but on this night, when you screamed the line “And everyone would leave with the memory there was no place else in the world/And this was where they always belonged” it felt as real as it did a decade ago.

Against Me! gives all a band could be asked of from an audience and the audience gives everything a band could ask for. After all these years, it still works.

Set list:
Transgender Dysphoria Blues
Cliché Guevara
I Still Love You Julie
I Was a Teenage Anarchist
Don’t Lose Touch
White Crosses
Dead Friends
Turn Those Clapping Hands Into Angry Balled Fists
T.S.R.
Walking is Still Honest
Pretty Girls
Drinking with the Jocks
Miami
The Ocean
Rice and Bread
Reinventing Axl Rose
Black Me Out
Thrash Unreal
Pints of Guinness Make You Strong
Sink, Florida, Sink

Encore:
Tonight We’re Gonna Give It 35%
Piss & Vinegar
Slurring the Rhythms
We Laugh at Danger (And Break All the Rules)