After an entire year AWOL, Anberlin makes a much-anticipated return to Orange County with a very special show at The Observatory in Santa Ana on October 24th.
Supporting act on this show is none other than Seattle’s pop-punk outfit, Acceptance. Though Anberlin and Acceptance have a large, shared fanbase, Acceptance is without a doubt popular enough to fill The Observatory alone with their cult following. With Anberlin headlining this show, the energy in the building will be unfathomable.
Acceptance and Anberlin have been directly influencing each other and touring with each other for nearly two decades. It becomes obvious as to why the bands continue to have such a long-standing relationship when you also factor in that Anberlin’s guitarist Christian McAlhaney happens to be Acceptance’s guitarist as well.
There is a long list of past Warped Tour acts that went on to gain colossal mainstream notoriety; many received radio airplay, major label deals, and performed on late-night TV talk shows. Anberlin falls somewhere on that list of the “should have gotten much bigger” section, however they have never struggled to draw a crowd over the years.
Anberlin has been selling out venues across the US long before they had a top 10 radio single. In the summer of 2008, their single “Feel Good Drag” reached the number one spot on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, saw constant airplay on KROQ 106.7FM, and inevitably reached certified gold status (500,000 sales) in 2014.
In 2014, Anberlin announced that they would be disbanding after the release of their seventh studio album “Lowborn” and fans everywhere were devastated. Luckily, the sadness and devastation were short-lived as the band reunited a few years later in 2018. Though the band has continued to tour the US since their reunion, Orange County hasn’t seen a non-festival Anberlin show since the band’s 2014 Farewell Tour.
With their new EP “Silverline,” Anberlin again shatters fan expectations with an ever-evolving sound that further distances themselves from their respective pop-punk roots. A lot of moments on the EP have a “forced nostalgia” approach that showcases tones and production tricks that feel like they were plucked from the ‘80s. With huge-sounding drums, vocals that are saturated in reverb, and synths that breathe cinematic life into the five songs, I must say that “Silverline” is by far some of their best work yet. I anticipate at least a couple of songs off the EP making their way into the setlist for the Observatory show and I couldn’t be more excited to see these songs live.
Though the band’s sound has drastically evolved from the pop-punk stylings of 2003’s “Blue Prints for the Black Market” and 2005’s “Never Take Friendships Personal,” you can fully expect to find a packed house of pop-punk fans on the 24th.
These tickets are going fast so get yours before you miss your chance. General admission tickets are on sale now.
