On Friday February 28th, rock band Anberlin brought their Never Take Friendship Personal 20th Anniversary Tour to Austin’s Come and Take It Live.
Anberlin is a five-piece rock band from Winterhaven, Florida. The band originally joined together in 2002, and released their first full-length album Blueprints for the Black Market in 2003. The album was received well, but it was barely the beginning of Anberlin’s success. In 2005, they announced the namesake album of their 2025 tour: Never Take Friendship Personal. The album took the band to new heights, including their most-streamed song of all time “The Feel Good Drag” and other fan favorites such as “Paperthin Hymn” and “A Day Late.” Since then, they’ve released a multitude of impressive albums and toured with the likes of The Maine, Mayday Parade, Every Time I Die, We The Kings and The Devil Wears Prada. Most recently, they released their single “High Stakes” in October 2024, and announced their US headlining tour in November.
Come and Take It Live appeared readier than ever for Anberlin’s arrival last Friday. The venue sold out and it showed – packed from front to back with excitement and anticipation. After enjoying opening sets from Copeland, The Dangerous Summer, and Speak Slow, everyone anxiously awaited Anberlin’s arrival. Shortly after 9pm, the band appeared on stage in a flurry of LED lights and cheers from the crowd. They kicked off their set with the album’s title track, “Never Take Friendship Personal,” which was met with the audience singing every word back to them. The band’s energy was infectious as they continued to play through the entirety of the album.
New touring frontman and lead singer of Memphis May Fire, Matty Mullins, brought each track back to life in his own way while upholding the original’s integrity. He voiced his love and appreciation for the band and album, reminiscing that he “grew up with it” as much as attendees had, and that it was a great honor to be performing with the group. Throughout the night, the power of nostalgia was evident – as audience members relived their own memories and long-time associations with each song.
At the conclusion of the show, the band dove into playing some more recent tracks and other favorites, including “High Stakes,” “Impossible” and “Godspeed.” By the end of the night, everyone was left with the reminder that while we grow up, the music that shaped us stays with us forever.
I am a photographer and live music lover based in Austin and raised in Houston. I recently graduated from The University of Texas at Austin, where I studied Marketing and co-led the photo team at Afterglow ATX. I feel most at home where people are moshing, thrifting, or sipping coffee. My favorite artists include The Maine, Pierce The Veil, 5SOS (+ Luke's solo work), Waterparks, MCR, Taylor Swift, and Harry Styles.
