The Huntington Bank Pavilion on Chicago’s breathtaking Northerly Island buzzed with emos of all stature and ages spanning across generations. The sight makes perfect sense, as A Day To Remember’s first record came out almost twenty years ago. The scene has continued on a warpath to keep punk music in the spotlight, deserving of radio play and worldwide tour routes. Bands on the bill Four Year Strong, The Story So Far, Scowl, Militarie Gun, and Pain of Truth are a perfect signifier of how widespread the music taste of A Day To Remember fans can truly range. From pop-punk to hardcore, this tour brings the flavor of summer across the US.
Four Year Strong has and always will be an amazon live band. I am forever in awe of the way they sound almost exactly like their recordings and the ease with which they perform with. No matter how refined their personal looks and styles become, the beards and high-energy always give it away. Their mid-century modern-looking drum kit had me drooling and the sound of their classics kept it going.
With a brand new record out as well, The Story So Far performed all their most-loved songs while still giving special attention to the new singles “All Too Well”, “Letterman” and “Big Blind”. The heart put into the new record, bleeding with grief for Parker Cannon’s late father, reverberated across the island. With the sun setting over the city in the background, Parker made sure to add in some dancing at the end of the set so no one could say he doesn’t move enough.
I think almost every A Day To Remember song would be appropriate to open their set with, since their specialty is early hooks and catchy riffs right out of the gate. This time, “Sticks and Bricks” was the winner, getting the crowd’s first “WOOOO!” of the night. I honestly zoned out for a bit and forgot to write notes on the set, but I think that’s a testament to the set’s energy itself. I couldn’t be bothered to look at my phone or concentrate on anything else besides the fun ass band I was watching. Jeremy McKinnon told a quick story of when they first played “Violence” and everyone just stared at them, so they haven’t played it since. This night in Chicago, we were blessed with the return of that song into the setlist along with their foray into EDM “Rescue Me”. It was the most fun song to watch with rainbow lights dancing all over the stage and crowd, and bass that were probably rattling the images off the museum walls next door. The set list was decorated with newest single “Feedback” and my personal favorite, “The Downfall Of Us All”. Everytime I see this band, I leave with the same sentiment. Damn that was fun!
Be sure to catch them at Rocklahoma and When We Were Young Fest this fall!
