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We Are Story Tellers
Yellowcard in Baltimore
Pinch me. I must be dreaming. Or have I at least traveled back in time to 2003? That was one of my first thoughts when I was standing front row for Yellowcards 20 years of Ocean Avenue Tour on the tour’s first stop in Baltimore, MD on July 5th, 2023. From the day the tour was announced and I saw the bill with This Wild Life, Story Of The Year, Mayday Parade, and the almighty enduring Yellowcard I knew I had to experience this for myself. And at one of my favorite music venues on the east coast!
This Wild Life
This Wild Life started out the show and they brought so much energy! Kevin and Anthony are truly masters at connecting with the audience and making every song a memorable experience for every ticket holder in the venue. They are the newest band of any band on this roster and unfortunately, haven’t made it to Baltimore very often but they connected with everyone and were loved as if they were covered in Old Bay (Baltimore reference).
Story Of The Year
Story Of The Year was the second band and I am a little partial to these guys. 2003 I was sitting at work and saw this music video on youtube with a bunch of crazy dudes doing flips and hanging out of their van, playing pranks on each other. And somehow all of this excitement in the video was still letting the most incredible song come through my speakers. That song was “Until the day I Die” and it completely had me hooked and a die-hard fan. Over the last 20 years, I’ve watched these boys grow into men and accomplish so much. Seeing them on this tour brought all of the same energy and musical ability that I’ve seen from them so many countless times before with a relentless barrage of hit after hit being played to the crowd of enthusiastic long-time fans and new fans alike.
Mayday Parade
Mayday Parade. What is there to say about this band? Whether you discovered them on their debut album “A Lesson in Romantics” or some Tiktok video in the last year or so you have to admit they are catchy and know how to move a crowd. Their performance was amazing as always. I always enjoy watching Derek and the rest of the guys vibe on stage.
Yellowcard
Yellowcard. I think I can leave it as simple as that for a review. But I am going to try to put into words what I saw through the tears of happiness I had rolled down my face. You see in July of 2003 I heard a song that would forever change my appreciation for “pop punk” music forever. “Ocean Avenue” was a record that I have played so many times that I have literally had to buy it multiple times to replace it because it was so scratched up from being played so much. Thank goodness for the iPod and MP3 files! Anyway, the mixture of vocals by Ryan Key and violin by Sean Mackin were revolutionary in my eyes. The melodies and transitions. The musicality and talent that this band puts forward are amazing. I have seen them on so many stages it is hard to say how many, but every single time it has been an event! Always 120% energy and always makes me truly admire how amazing they are as musicians and genuine as humans. At this show, the crowd was palpable waiting for them to take the stage.
Looking around I of course saw faces ive seen at Yellowcard shows before. But most importantly I saw young people and kids having the time of their life and learning about this amazing band bringing up the next generation of Yellowcard fans. I must admit in 2017 I thought it would be the last time I would ever see them when they announced their hiatus so seeing this tour and having the opportunity to see them again brought tears to my eyes. I don’t think a band ever truly knows the impact of their music on their fans, But I am here to say start to finish the “Ocean Avenue” record and every record to follow has shaped me as a human and has gotten me through some of the most difficult times in my life. While on stage there was no concept of time for these guys. 20 years was 20 minutes to them. Every bit of energy and talent I saw the first time I saw Yellowcard was still on display 20 years later. This tour was by far one of the best lineups Baltimore has seen in a while. Thank you to the Yellowcard team and the other bands and teams for putting this together for us.
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