From the beginning of his career, Say Anything frontman Max Bemis has always been ambitious. For the band’s 2004 major-label debut, Bemis envisioned a grand rock opera with a detailed storyline, numerous characters and spoken-word pieces to connect the songs, but he became overwhelmed by the project and ended up scaling it back (at the time, he told Alternative Press that he wanted to outdo “Andy Warhol and Jesus” with the album). Since then, Bemis has approached each Say Anything album with similarly focused goals, whether it was the socially aware punk rock of 2012’s Anarchy, My Dear or the majestic orchestral arrangements of 2014’s Hebrews.
Bemis is an accomplished singer, songwriter, musician and storyteller and he’s the sole consistent member of Say Anything, playing multiple instruments on each album. Live, Bemis is joined by a full band to bring his music to life, and he puts all of his energy into performing. The current tour is billed as “a loud interpretation of Say Anything songs, old and new.” Like everything Bemis and Say Anything do, it’s both ambitious and intimate.
Hard Rock Live, 7 p.m. July 31, starting at $18 plus tax and fee, 18+. 702.733.7625
