Review: Against Me! brings new maturity to stage

"Selling out" is a term generally used by fans who are upset that their favorite band is suddenly not a secret anymore. I discovered Against Me! relatively recently (last summer), and I was hooked from the moment I heard "Miami." I then listened through their back catalogue, and discovered that, to my surprise, here was a band that seemed to meet an objective criteria of "selling out" – their once acoustic-driven anarcho-punk had evolved into glossy, overproduced hard rock, which is still good, just not as electrifying as their old stuff.

Understandably, a lot of fans are upset about this. I really wasn't, partially because I'm not a long-time fan, but also because their sound has logically evolved over the course of their discography into what it is today. Front man Tom Gabel defends himself in "I Was A Teenage Anarchist," the first single from "White Crosses," their most recent album. Singing, "I was a teenage anarchist / but then the scene got too rigid / it was a mob mentality / they set their rifle sights on me," he states what's been apparent for a while now. Against Me! was too smart and too talented to dig themselves into a lyrical and musical rut to please a militant niche of fans – they've grown up.

Which was fine, but the fact remained that most of their best songs are concentrated on their first three albums. Had the band lost their edge already, after barely a decade? When I heard they would be playing at Trees in Dallas, I went to find out.

The crowd consisted of the usual punks, hipsters and scene kids who tend to find their way to concerts, but there were also a lot of people who didn't quite fit comfortably under a label at first glance. I think that reflects the fact that the band is appealing to a wider audience these days.

Two forgettable opening punk bands and one abominable indie band later, Against Me! took the stage, plunging into the set with an energy that dissipated any lingering doubt. They are still one of the best bands playing rock music today. They play hard, and unlike many bands, they have fun doing it. This is a band that clearly and openly loves what they're doing every night, and that translates into the music on stage.

Because they perform with such energy and sincerity, the newer songs stand comfortably by the old ones on their live set. It's proof that they've matured as a band, and that their more recent material isn't (entirely) a bid for crossover appeal, but rather an evolution of their sound and aesthetic.

And that, dear reader, is what we call Punk Rock.

4 out of 5 stars