{"id":706,"date":"2012-11-01T23:00:50","date_gmt":"2012-11-01T23:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/216.71.127.204\/wordpress\/?p=706"},"modified":"2015-10-13T15:54:15","modified_gmt":"2015-10-13T15:54:15","slug":"against-me-warehouse-live-studio-houston-tx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/2012\/11\/01\/against-me-warehouse-live-studio-houston-tx\/","title":{"rendered":"Against Me! – Warehouse Live Studio – Houston, TX"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
Written by Samuel Barker <\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nov 01, 2012 at 11:00 PM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Image\"A lot has changed in the four years since I last caught up with Against Me! The band released a second major label album, White Crosses, got dropped from the major label, started their own record label and had a couple of new drummers come through the door. This kind of turbulence would be the death of most bands, but Against Me! has kept it moving forward.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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?<\/p>\n

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?<\/p>\n

The band took the stage, under bright white lights, and greeted the audience with a \u201cHello, Houston!\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

The interesting thing was the glow on Grace\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\"Image\"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\u2019s entire catalog. Even after nearly 2 years on the job, it was an impressive show of knowledge and chops.<\/p>\n

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. \u201cReinventing Axl Rose\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

It sounds hokey, I know it does, but on this night, when you screamed the line \u201cAnd everyone would leave with the memory there was no place else in the world\/And this was where they always belonged\u201d it felt as real as it did a decade ago.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Set list:
\nTransgender Dysphoria Blues
\nClich\u00e9 Guevara
\nI Still Love You Julie
\nI Was a Teenage Anarchist
\nDon\u2019t Lose Touch
\nWhite Crosses
\nDead Friends
\nTurn Those Clapping Hands Into Angry Balled Fists
\nT.S.R.
\nWalking is Still Honest
\nPretty Girls
\nDrinking with the Jocks
\nMiami
\nThe Ocean
\nRice and Bread
\nReinventing Axl Rose
\nBlack Me Out
\nThrash Unreal
\nPints of Guinness Make You Strong
\nSink, Florida, Sink<\/p>\n

Encore:
\nTonight We\u2019re Gonna Give It 35%
\nPiss & Vinegar
\nSlurring the Rhythms
\nWe Laugh at Danger (And Break All the Rules)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by Samuel Barker Nov 01, 2012 at 11:00 PM A lot has changed in the four years since I last caught up with Against Me! The band released a second major label album, White Crosses, got dropped from the major label, started their own record label and had a couple of new drummers come… <\/p>\n

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