Bayside’s one of those bands I’ve been trying to see for years. Kind of like the Mars Volta, no matter where Bayside is, I’m not. So when the Bayside date at the Living Room was announced I started structuring my life around this semi-epic event.

After a few personal delays and the time-consuming task of parking the BRU car, I got to the Living Room in time to catch Straylight Run start their set. I missed the openers, Four Year Strong and Tokyo Rose although both were said to put on high energy performances. Overcoming a delay and some guitar-related technical difficulties, Straylight Run greeted the crowd with excitement and appreciation. John Nolan, singer/pianist/guitarist of Straylight, sporting a rustic full beard, and his soft spoken sister/co-singer Michelle Nolan, were modest in speech but blew up with passion and dedication during the songs. Members of the crowd belted out every echoing word of the band’s dramatic music and the entire venue erupted with the lyrics to their 2004 single “Existentialism on Prom Night.” As their set progressed, so did my understanding of how two bands with such different musical styles could fit so well together performing. Straylight’s music features exaggerated instances of Bayside’s moving demeanor and dynamic sound. The bottom-line is that Straylight Run threatened to knock out those closest to the speakers with not only the wonderful cacophony of a band jamming together but the same enthusiasm and devotion that Bayside later delivered; their albums may be different genres but the performances of both bands showcase what it really means to be a Rockstar and why they so enjoy each other’s company.

In the crowd, between Straylight and Bayside’s sets, I found an old friend equally brimming with anticipation. This faithful fan was seeing Bayside for the fifth time and warned me that despite all her concert experience, seeing Bayside still qualified as ‘intense.’ I had expected no less from the emo-punk band that haunted my high school memories but being reassured of it only made me more excited.

Although the ringing in my ears was at full blast by the second song, Bayside’s Anthony Raneri coaxed the lyrics to Blame it on Bad Luck and They Looked Like Strong Hands out of almost every member of the crowd. Taking advantage of the dynamism between their harmonic acoustic songs and high energy singles, Bayside put on a show with the perfect balance of craziness and melody. Coming on stage, they skipped pleasantries and went straight to a popular song off their most recent album, The Walking Wounded, followed by the ever-appreciated “Masterpiece” from ’04’s Victory Records release Sirens and Condolences. The mixed chronology of the set list kept people on their toes and old and new fans rocked out from start to finish. The set list is at the bottom of this review and I have to say that it’s pretty well varied given its brevity. Almost everyone left with a smile on their face, but inevitably some people felt songs were missing, especially those off the most recent album which the tour is technically supporting.

The band gave its all; Anthony wooed us at the slow parts and howled at the ceiling as the chorus shook the rafters, and the guitarist, Jack O’shea, maintained looks of crazy, if not frightening intensity. It’s impossible for me to praise the show without mentioning the excitement of the crowd. The low ceiling of the venue lent itself to teenage acrobatics as crowd surfers lunged for the stage and the typical (but unfortunate) tiny-punk-girl vs. mosh pit dilemma was at a low. However, it’s worth mentioning that although the smallness of the Living Room is what makes it so cool (not to mention its charming sense of grunge), the use of a five foot girl in a pastel hoodie as the only source of anti-crowd enforcement on stage was effective only by luck.

So after waiting four years to see Bayside, did they live up to my expectations? Absolutely. And not only was the band’s performance worthy of my years of longing, but the other bands and an awesomely excited crowd made it one of the most enjoyable shows I’ve been to in a very long time.

SETLIST:

STRAYLIGHT RUN:
Take It To Manhattan
Existentialism on Prom Night
The Miracle That Never Came
For the best
Still alone
Toolsheds and Hot Tubs
Soon we’ll Be Living In The Future
Hands in the Sky (Big Shot)

BAYSIDE:
Carry on
Masterpiece
Kellum
Blame It On Bad Luck
Hello Shitty
The Walking Wounded
Montauk
Dear Your Holiness
Don’t Call Me Peanut
Alcohol
They’re Not Unicorns, They’re Horses
ENCORE:
They Looked Like Strong hands
Devotion & Desire

(Photo by Allison Harger on Flikr)