This was the first night of Say Anything’s latest U.S. tour, so here’s fair warning should you catch them down the road: if “About Falling” happens, take cover. In two minutes, I saw two fights and a beautifully retarded dive off a 15-foot balcony onto a high hanging, suspended amplifier ... to the floor. It’s like someone flipped on the “rock show” switch – forget any “pop” prefix.

The L.A. natives brought their angsty histrionic vibe to the Avalon, and the local faithful in turn brought the moshing. I have to admit – the halfway decent double record In Defense of the Genre took on a major cathartic edge live. All the tormented lyrics and pent up anxiety found an outlet in both band and audience through the charging, anthemic rock numbers.

It was an entertaining breath of fresh air after opening snoozers Manchester Orchestra. Note to S.A.: move up Scotland’s Biffy Clyro in the rotation. They’re a Foo Fighters-inspired trio, hooky and wild, and any energy they cultivated was killed by Andy Hull and company.