Anberlin & Copeland Celebrate 20 Years at The Athenaeum Theater in Columbus [Photos]

The night felt like a 2005 evening going into a Warped Tour headlining show as the crowd filled The Athenaeum Theater in Columbus, Ohio, for the “Never Take Friendship Personal Tour.” The fans were ready for a nostalgic night filled with music that had carried them through so many stages of their lives.

The crowd murmured with excitement as the lights dimmed at The Dangerous Summer took the stage. They came with an energy and set forth on the job to get the crowd ready for the main acts: Copeland and Anberlin. AJ Perdomo had the ability to captivate the audience and engage them. He hyped up the crowd with driving vocals. The Dangerous Summer filled their set with driving guitars, stage presence, and banter between Perdomo and the crowd.

The excitement of the crowd grew as Copeland took the stage. They were celebrating 20 years of the album In Motion. Copeland has an ability to blend the melodic melodies with driving rock sounds that have transcended decades. They started their set with “Hold Nothing Back” and continued through their In Motion album track by track.

They had an amazing ability to flow from an upbeat, driving song like “No One Really Wins” into a piano-laden ballad like “Choose the One Who Loves You More” and back up into a rock track like “Pin Your Wings.” They truly took the audience on a musical journey and engaged with an easygoing style that Aaron Marsh was able to command the stage with.

The stage was then set for the final act. A band that has gone through many seasons and changes. Anberlin, once helmed by Stephen Christian, has now changed hands, and now Matty Mullins of Memphis May Fire is at the helm. Since this was a tour celebrating 20 years of their Never Take Friendship Personal album, one might expect the crowd to be apprehensive and not as engaged. This was not the case. The Athenaeum was packed around the sides in the seats and the standing room in the middle. The crowd was engaged from the first notes of “Never Take Friendship Personal” through the final notes of the evening.

Matty was able to capture the crowd with energy and stage presence that was unmatched. They have even re-released a version of Never Take Friendship Personal called Nevertake all with Matty Mullins as the lead vocalist. The crowd met Anberlin’s energy with vigor. They sang along to every word. Crowd favorites like “Paperthin Hymn” and “A Day Late” needed no introduction and had the crowd shouting every word.

As Anberlin moved their way through the album from front to back, every song was met with excitement, as this album had impacted those in the room during their most formative years. The largest response of the night came when they started “A Feel Good Drag,” after Matty joked that this was definitely not a crowd favourite.

They ended with “Dance, Dance, Christa Päffgen,” and the lights dimmed, but the crowd knew that was not the end. Anberlin took the stage once more to play an encore of not one song, but four. The encore was special because they played songs that came off other records, which was a treat. They started with “The Resistance” off their album New Surrender, and then played one of their newer singles called “High Stakes.” They then played the moving ballad “Impossible” off the album Dark is the Way, Light is the Place. Fourth and final was definitely a fan favourite that had the crowd in a frenzy, “Godspeed” off the album Cities.

In a night filled with nostalgia, it showed that each of these bands has something to give, even 20 years later. The songs were still impactful, and it showed through the diversity of the crowd and the number of people who came out to see these bands take the stage. These songs mean just as much in 2025 as they did in 2005. We’ve all gotten a little older, but music is eternal, and the impact is lasting.

Anberlin (w/ Copeland & A Dangerous Summer) @ The Athanaeum (Columbus, OH) on March 31st, 2025

41 photos