Photos and review by Jennie Book
@jenniebookphotography

American Football played a sold-out show at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on May 23, giving fans a set that covered nearly 30 years of the band’s catalog while putting a strong focus on newer material from recent release LP4. The longtime Midwest emo group mixed early favorites with more recent songs that leaned into rock and jazz, and showed a band that’s fully invested in what they’re making now rather than relying only on nostalgia.

Opener Mei Semones played a great pop-jazzy set with her band, with Semones singing and playing guitar, plus bassist, drummer, and a violinist and a violist who play-sparred stage right for the duration of their set, which added a super fun dimension. The crowd looked and sounded like they loved it and the band more than warmed the venue up for American Football.

AF’s core lineup of Mike Kinsella, Steve Holmes, Nate Kinsella, and Steve Lamos plus their touring members and additional singers took the stage at 9pm and played solidly throughout the night, moving easily between older songs like “Never Meant” and “Honestly?” and newer tracks including “Patron Saint of Pale” and “Bad Moons.” The band’s early work drew probably the loudest reactions from the crowd, but the newer songs held their own live thanks to the group’s detailed musicianship and great arrangements.

After “My Instincts Are the Enemy,” frontman Kinsella admitted to the audience, “Not gonna lie, that one’s hard for me to play,” one of several moments during the set that felt casual and genuine rather than rehearsed. Later, he reflected on the band’s longevity and his own longevity when he said “Every day I wake up, it’s awesome.”

A standout part of the performance was Steve Lamos scooting away from the drums to play a beautiful sounding trumpet during several songs, including on “Stay Home” and “The One With the Wurlitzer.” The live trumpet parts added a lot to the atmosphere of the set and were beautifully lit with a single spotlight shining on him as he played.

“Wake Her Up” featured guest vocals from singer Wisp, whose appearance was warmly received by the audience. Kinsella seemed happy hearing the crowd respond to her, and said he’d written the song “like 100 years ago” and it was so special to him hearing her sing it.

“Never Meant” became one of the night’s biggest singalongs, with nearly the entire venue singing back every word. At other points in the show some mosh pit pockets broke out on the floor, an unusual choice given the band, and it looked to be a little irritating to some of the people nearby who probably wanted a different experience. And there seemed to be a little bit of shouting at inopportune moments, and some drunkenness, and you know, people should always remember they’re in public and there’s a social contract at shows we’re all beholden to.

The encore opened with “The One With the Piano,” again featuring Lamos on trumpet, before moving into “Patron Saint of Pale” and ending the night with “Bad Moons,” a great choice to end the evening.

American Football has wrapped their North American tour in San Diego on May 24 and will continue on to Europe in June for another leg. For all the latest tour news, tickets, and info, check out www.americanfootballmusic.com