Senses Fail plays Life Is Not a Waiting Room in full for 15th anniversary show at Granada Wednesday night

Senses Fail at the Granada // photo by Emily Jacobs

Emo post-hardcore band Senses Fail, hailing from New Jersey, delivered a cathartic set to a packed Granada Wednesday night, playing their 2008 album, Life Is Not a Waiting Room, in full—though the only remaining band member from that time is frontman Buddy Nielsen, let alone the beginning of the band back in 2001. 

Life Is Not a Waiting Room, though not one of Senses Fail’s most well-known albums and rarely played live, is an important part of their discography. It’s about Nielsen break-up with his then-long-term girlfriend and his subsequent descent into depression and alcoholism. The album is a solid blend of songs that are a tribute to the heavier noise of their 2004 album, Let It Enfold You, and more pop punk-inspired tracks.

After strong performances from openers Remorsefully Numb and Holding Absence, Senses Fail took the stage. The first song on Life Is Not a Waiting Room, “Fireworks at Dawn,” is a slower song that’s depressing but ends with a hopeful message, and then transitions straight into the heavier and angrier “Lungs Like Gallows.”

“If you don’t like the record, you can, I don’t know, write to your senator and tell them that it sucks,” says Nielsen of the album.

After “Wolves at the Door,” they paused for Nielsen to deliver the first of several monologues that drew immeasurable laughter from the crowd.

“Whatever you do, don’t wait for shit, ‘cause you’re all gonna die—every single person in this room,” Nielsen advised. “Eat the cheeseburger, smoke the joint…just don’t drink and drive.”

I’ve followed Senses Fails’ Twitter (now X) account forever, and had forgotten that Nielsen is just as ridiculously hilarious in real life. I saw Senses Fail last November at the Bottleneck, and I’m rather ashamed to admit that I don’t remember their set past the first two songs—and therefore, don’t recall much of anything Nielsen had to say. He says, “Not one person was sober,” in reference to that show, followed by cheers from the audience—it was comforting to know that I wasn’t the only person who went overboard that night. 

Senses Fail frontman Buddy Nielsen // photo by Emily Jacobs

The second borderline-stand-up comedy stint from Nielsen came before the second to last song, “Map the Streets.”

“How many of you had to pay someone to watch your children?” Nielsen asked of the crowd. After an underwhelming response, he says: “There’s a lot of smart people that didn’t have children. So here’s the fucking problem—and I talk about it every set—we need more people to like Senses Fail, and as it is right now, I don’t think emo music is gonna get back on the radio. One of the things that I need everyone to do is have more children so they can listen to Senses Fail. This is a good song to do that to.”

So far, “Have more children so they can listen to Senses Fail” is the only compelling argument I’ve heard to have children. The one pitfall I see in that argument, however, is that I’d have to traumatize my children enough for them to fully appreciate Senses Fail.

The band played the last two songs of the album before finishing out the set with six of their hits from previous albums, including “Call All Cars” and “Buried a Lie.”

During one pause in the last few songs, Nielsen says to the audience, “Out here in Kansas, where my parents are from, everyone’s like, ‘Oh, nice to meet you, how’re you doing, do you need a hand, like can I get you something?’ And I hate that shit—it stresses me out, ‘cause I don’t want anyone to talk to me about anything. I’ll talk to anyone online, but if you dare talk to me without greeting me with a respectful, ‘Go fuck yourself,’ I will not respond.”

Buddy Nielsen, if you’re reading this: respectfully: “Go fuck yourself.” 🙂 You are seen and you are heard.

They closed out the night with banger “Bite To Break Skin,” with the crowd still going insane as the band signaled the end of the set with a group bow.

Some other quotes from Nielsen that had me laughing until I was near tears included:

• “Pay taxes if you’re having sex, just don’t drink and drive.”
• “Twitter is fun now because Twitter is a cesspool of humanity and it feels like the state that I’m from.” 
• “There’s enough of you here that are degenerates that I feel at home.”
  

Setlist:

Fireworks at Dawn
Lungs Like Gallows
Garden State
Family Tradition
Wolves at the Door
Hair of the Dog
Four Years
Ali for Cody
Yellow Angels
Chandelier
Map the Streets
Blackout
Rum is for Drinking
Calling All Cars
End of the World
Buried a Lie
Can’t Be Saved
Bite to Break Skin