Say Anything Celebrate 20th Anniversary of Emo Scene Classic ‘…Is a Real Boy’ at The Ryman Tonight, May 19

To simply peg Say Anything as an emo or pop punk band, or merely a product of the explosive 2000s pop punk scene, would be to sell short their long, nuanced, and expansive history, throughout which they’ve become one of their era’s greatest rock bands, period. Helmed by singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Max Bemis, the group formed in 2000, when Bemis was merely 16. A far-cry from your typical high school band, however, Say Anything’s early efforts, including self-released debut LP Baseball, were so good, and showed so much promise, that they’ve not only been captured in expansive and sought after box sets and compilations many years later, but they also ignited enough early interest to spark a bidding war, landing the group on Doghouse Records by the time of their 2004 fan favorite …Is a Real Boy. Immediately embraced and swept up by that zeitgeist-y pop punk and Warped Tour scene of the early aughts, Bemis, who struggled with mental illness and addiction in the band’s early days, was forced to put his musical ambitions on hold on several occasions, including while recording Real Boy, eventually seeking treatment and finding his path in time for Say Anything to ascend the ranks of modern punk royalty, and to craft an ambitious, guest-filled, double concept followup album, In Defense of the Genre, in 2007.

After briefly flirting with major label status and glossier, more reeled in songwriting with 2009’s Say Anything, the band re-teamed with Real Boy producer Tim O’Heir for thematic punk concept album Anarchy, My Dear in 2012. Largely transcendent of their “scene” roots, and with several successful side projects launched (Bemis alone has at least four, including Two Tongues, a supergroup with Saves The Day’s Chris Conley and Perma with his wife Sherri), the band ditched guitars entirely with self-produced, string heavy Hebrews in 2014; around which time the fairly permanent live lineup of around a decade began to erode into a new approach of Bemis and whoever else he might tap to contribute to a particular tour or recording. After many years of playing virtually every instrument in the studio, Max enlisted a stacked crew of guest contributors to make I Don’t Think It Is, a ferocious concept album released by surprise in 2016, returning Say Anything to their rawest, most punk form, before exploring a concept album once more with 2019’s …Is a Real Boy “sequel” and pseudo-autobiographical endeavor, examining struggles with sexual identity and addiction, called Oliver Appropriate.

In the lead up to that last LP’s release, Bemis announced that he’d be putting Say Anything on hiatus, and in the ensuing years he continued to tour acoustic, and put out new music under the moniker Maxim Mental. However, in late 2022, it was announced that Say Anything would reunite (with some long-tenured members and new players) for pop punk and emo nostalgia fest When We Were Young 2023, with additional club shows in New York and LA, and an appearance at Chicago’s Riot Fest added in the lead-up as well. While it was initially unclear if Say Anything’s activity would continue beyond these reunion dates, the band began releasing a new string of singles last year, cementing that this reunion is for real, and revealing that a brand new album …Is Committed, is set to arrive later this month, helmed by Brad Wood who produced In Defense of the Genre.

Though a tour specifically in support of that new album is likely to come down the road, Say Anything are first undertaking another nostalgic anniversary tour, celebrating 20 years of their classic …Is a Real Boy with a run a dates throughout the spring and summer. Returning to Nashville for the first time since a pair of full-album shows back in early 2018, for their largest Music City headliner ever, Bemis & co. will play The Ryman Auditorium tonight, May 19 with Arizona folk punks AJJ and Michigan indie and shoegaze group Greet Death. Despite the large room, emo nostalgia and interest in the band’s return seems to be high, as only a handful of tickets remain right here. Snag your spot, and revisit a couple of tracks from the classic LP before you hear it tonight in full!

Say Anything, AJJ, and Greet Death will perform tonight, May 19 at The Ryman Auditorium. The show is all ages, begins at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are available for $26.50-59.50.