You will most likely never see a band member smile on stage as much as Anberlin’s frontman, Stephen Christian. His gleeful appearance makes it clear there is nowhere else he would rather be than on a stage singing to his fans. This radiant stage presence lifts the mood of the entire band and crowd. It is no wonder Anberlin drew such a dedicated and energetic gathering to their show at the Trocadero on Saturday, Nov. 1.

The second the lights dimmed in the venue, fans began chanting the band’s name. Anberlin emerged from backstage starting their set full throttle with energy that seemed to refuse to die down. Despite the fact that the current tour is in support of their new album “New Surrender,” the band did not overpower their set list with new songs. Instead they played a relatively balanced amount of titles from their latest three albums that seemed to please the crowd. Anberlin’s set lasted a little over an hour including a two-song encore. The entire set flowed together nicely with well-chosen songs and plenty of thanks from the band for the fans’ support. The set was seemingly flawless except for Christian accidentally calling the crowd, Boston, which ultimately just led to playful “boos” and laughter.

Probably the most impressive aspect of the concert was the undeniable connection between everyone in the venue. Fans were united and there did not appear to be a gap between the band and the crowd; the fans were just as much a part of the night as the band was. Anberlin’s set could not even be called a “performance” since that implies a disconnected audience. The “show” definitely involved each and every person present at the Trocadero. I heard quite a few people walk away that night claiming the event was one of the best concerts they had ever attended.

If you did not get a chance to catch Anberlin in Philadelphia this time around, I suggest you try to catch them live next time they make a stop here. In the meantime check out their latest album “New Surrender” as well as their older releases.

***Photos by Anna Clay