Anberlin Celebrates 20th Anniversary of “Never Take Friendship Personal” in Los Angeles with Copeland and Spitalfield
Article written by and photos by Natalie Ryan
On March 14th, rock band Anberlin celebrated the 20th Anniversary of their iconic second studio album “Never Take Friendship Personal” in Los Angeles at The Novo. The over 2,300-capacity venue in the heart of the city was the perfect place for fans of all ages to come out and support Anberlin, a mainstay in the rock scene since the 2000s. Joining them were local openers Rival Tides along with tour support acts Spitalfield and Copeland. Anberlin and Copeland are longtime friends and even shared a producer and record label in the past, but surprisingly, they have never toured together. While Anberlin played their 2005 album, Copeland celebrated their own anniversary with the album “In Motion” from the same year. Anberlin, Copeland, and Spitalfield have all disbanded in the past and reunited years later, making this tour all the more worthwhile for seasoned and new fans alike.
Los Angeles local rock band Rival Tides opened the show with a short set. Even though they started playing soon after the doors opened, they had a great energy and were happy to be there. They have stated that Anberlin is one of their biggest influences in music, making this show a milestone for them. The four-piece ended on a high note with “My Insomnia” and “All My Friends Are Stoned.”
Spitalfield, from Chicago, Illinois, was up next. Formed in 1998, they disbanded in 2007 and have reunited for multiple shows, but this year they have started to release new music for the very first time since disbanding. The best part of their set was just seeing how happy they were on stage together. Vocalist and guitarist Mark Rose mentioned how they have a new EP coming out and how special it’s been to look back on all the good times they shared with each other while also focusing on and appreciating where they are in life now through their music. Rose also talked about how he’s been having some medical issues recently and that he underwent neck surgery just a few weeks ago, expressing his gratitude that it means the world for everyone to be there with them at that moment. Even though the band is from Chicago, they have a special connection with Los Angeles, and they finished their set with “I Loved The Way She Said L.A.”
After that, it was time for Copeland to perform “In Motion” in full. Like Anberlin, Copeland is another core band in the scene that was formed in 2001, split up in 2010, and reunited in 2014. They performed the album, slightly out of order, with vocalist Aaron Marsh switching from guitar to piano for different songs. As someone who hasn't seen Copeland live before, my favorite song to hear was “Love is a Fast Song,” which is guitar-forward and builds on itself perfectly while also showcasing Marsh’s vocal stylings. For their last song, “You Love to Sing,” Marsh talked about how we shouldn’t only love our lives when things are good, but we should love life itself. This mirrors the lyrics of the song, “Sing with your head up / With your eyes closed / Not because you love the song / Because you love to sing.” Everyone in the audience was singing along and shedding tears to the deeply cathartic song, a fitting ending to a memorable set.
Find Copeland at their individual links below:
Finally, Anberlin took the stage to relieve 20 years worth of built up angst and emotion. While founding member and lead vocalist Stephen Christian announced in 2023 that he would be taking a hiatus from touring with the band, Memphis May Fire’s iconic vocalist Matty Mullins took over. The rest of the band consists of core members Joseph Milligan, Deon Rexroat, Nathan Young, and Christian McAlheney. Mullins has poked fun online at the conversation that people may be unhappy with the lineup change, saying “Still unsure about me w/ @anberlin? Come see us live”. After doing just that, I have to agree with him. Released in 2005, Anberlin’s second studio album “Never Take Friendship Personal” put them on the map, charting on the Billboard 200. On stage, they came out hard and fast, Mullins bouncing from one side of to the other. They played the album in full and in order, some of us finally getting to hear the iconic line “Insignificantly enough we both have significant others” in “A Day Late” live, a song about bad timing in relationships. Their most-loved song “The Feel Good Drag,” was a big hit with the crowd, getting the thick mass of people moving around even more.
They left the stage after the final song on the album, “Dance, Dance Christa Päffgen,” in all of its seven-minute-long glory. They returned to play four more songs, including the newest single from the band with Mullins included. Before playing it, Mullins took a moment to express how much he loves the band and how grateful he is to everyone welcoming him into Anberlin. He talked about finding and workshopping an old demo from the NTFP days that eventually turned into that single, “High Stakes,” and how important it was to him and the band. They finished off the show with “Impossible” and “Godspeed,” taking a photo with the crowd and thanking everyone before leaving the stage. It was an incredible show with some of the best bands and music in the scene, and they get bonus points for being done by ten. Don’t miss this tour!
