Against Me! band members. Photo from AgainstMe.net
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- From Portland to Poughkeepsie and all across Europe, Gainesville rockers Against Me! are kicking off a global tour starting in the state that sinks, Florida.
The black-clad quartet rocked the stage at Jannus Landing in downtown St. Petersburg for more than an hour Friday (August 17) night in front of a sell out crowd of 1,200 fans who sang, clapped and pounded fists into the air, helping the band thrash through their set list. And although the steamy night saw the mercury rise into the 90s, the folksy-infused punk band came back on stage to play an encore for the raucous audience.
Against Me! is on tour promoting their latest offering, New Wave, a 10-track album that has a cleaner sound than that which fans of the Gainesville quartet have become accustomed, some of which is likely due to the production value the much-accomplished Butch Vig has brought to the table. Vig is the seminal producer who mastered Nirvana's Nevermind and a bevy of other seemingly neo-classic albums. The souped up sound was clear for all to hear at the venue in downtown St. Petersburg.
[S]inger Gabel gave pause mid-way through the set and commented about being on the same stage where he used to see punk bands like NoFX, Rancid and Bouncing Souls play.The group started with the track “Cliché Guevera” from the album As the Eternal Cowboy as the audience clapped along. They then sweated through a set that included new tracks “Stop!,” “Americans Abroad,” “Thrash Unreal,” and “White People for Peace,” and a mix of older songs like “Potatoes, Rice and Bread,” and “Sink, Florida, Sink.”
Against Me! has been criticized for “selling out” their DIY roots in some of their more recent hits. None of this seemed a factor to the sold out crowd at the small, outdoor patio-syle venue in St. Petersburg.
Barely breaking between songs, the group rocked the roofless patio. Standing at stage right, singer Tom Gabel gave pause mid-way through the set and commented about being on the same stage where he used to see punk bands like NoFX, Rancid and Bouncing Souls play.
And now they were playing for “some St. Pete punks,” he said. It’s beautiful how it all comes full circle, isn’t it? [AgainstMe.net, Wiki, Photo from AgainstMe.net]Jared Leone, a TheSequitur.com Senior Editor, is a reporter for for the St. Petersburg Times.
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