American Football Celebrates Generational Career on Tour in Atlanta
- Rayna Sklar
- Jul 21
- 2 min read
Any night at Variety Playhouse is going to be a 50/50 chance that they’ll have a photo pit. Unfortunately for me and the other seven photographers covering American Football’s fourth self-titled LP show, there was no pit in sight. It was clear from the moment I got there, there was no way I would be getting to the front. Or so I thought. As soon as the band trickled onto stage, warming the crowd up with “Man Overboard,” the entire crowd was entranced. As I tried to make my way through the crowd, their fans made way for me without breaking eye contact with the stage, singing every word and mouthing every note being played on stage.
With 17, 3, and 7 years between each album it’s no wonder that the fans seemed like they were waiting their whole lives for this night. Singer (and guitarist and bassist) Mike Kinsella even made a joke about their first album, American Football, coming out before half the crowd was born. I’ve seen some reviews calling this tour “nostalgia-bait,” but if you were in the same room, I was you would know that’s far from true. There’s a deep connection that the fans have to this band, the band has with them and their own instruments.
There was a healthy balance of paying homage to themselves with songs from their first eponymous record (four songs) while playing seven from their newest, also eponymous record, and two from records two and three.
Few words were said between songs, leaving the music and the energy of the room speak for itself. From being absolutely encapsulated to crowd surfing, this was one of the most ‘happy-to-be-there’ crowds I’ve had the pleasure of sharing the pit with.
