Ten year anniversary tours are becoming more and more commonplace these days, but there are times when bands decide to shake things up with their celebrations. On Tuesday, September the 12th, New York natives Bayside took over Irving Plaza to play their 2007 album, The Walking Wounded, in its entirety. However, to add a special flare to their New York City date, Bayside decided to throw in another full album, 2008’s Shudder, offering a rare and unique gift to their most hardcore fans.
Since coming together in 2000, Bayside have released seven full-length albums and gathered some incredibly dedicated fans in their nearly 18 years together, even going so far as to say that “Bayside is a cult,” a line that adorns countless Bayside t-shirts. The band even titled their 2014 album Cult. Bayside gained momentum in the early 2000s with their debut album, Sirens and Condolences, and they have kept at it ever since despite a plague of lineup changes and tragedies. Most recently, the band put out Vacancy in 2016, which was released to favorable reviews. Now, though, the band are taking some time to celebrate some of their past achievements along with their most dedicated fans.
With the excitement rising, before Bayside could take the stage, the growing crowd was treated to an excellent set by Potty Mouth. This Pop Punk band featuring Guitarist/Lead Vocalist Abby Weems, Bassist Ally Einbinder, and Drummer Victoria Mandanas was full of raw energy and killer style. Potty Mouth has been making quite a name for themselves since appearing on the scene in 2011 and have been named as an up-and-coming band to watch by respected music media outlets. This Los Angeles via Northampton, MA band proved they have earned these accolades with their frenetic set featuring tracks from their most recent LP, 2013’s Hell Bent, along with some newer pieces.
Kicking things off with their latest single, “Smash Hit,” Potty Mouth already started winning over the crowd. Continuing with “Creeper Weed,” a fuzzy, grungy track of their 2015 self-titled EP, they then followed up with “22.” The crowd bounced along to the insanely catchy “Long Haul” and “Do It Again” as the band showed off their skills before Potty Mouth thanked Bayside for taking them out on tour. As Potty Mouth finished off their set with “Cherry Picking” and the frenetic “Twisted,” the crowd was fully invested. Hopefully this great young band picked up some new fans at Irving Plaza. They will no doubt continue to gain momentum, so be sure to check them out if hazy Pop Punk is your thing.
Already turning out to be much more than the typical album anniversary show, normally, bands play each album in full in its original order, but after two songs it was clear that Bayside was deviating from the formula – refreshing change for fans. Continuing on with Walking Wounded, Bayside launched into “They’re Not Horses, They’re Unicorns,” to which fans happily screamed along to as the first crowd-surfers flew over the barricade.
Matching the audience’s enthusiasm, the band’s energy was undeniable. Each member seemed genuinely stoked to be leading the party celebrating this classic album, doing their best to get the crowd even more amped and ensuring that the energy stayed high. Fans were excited to hear that after only four songs, Vocalist Anthony Raneri announced that there were still over 20 songs to go, noting that this was likely the longest set the band had ever played.
Keeping that in mind, Bayside quickly ran through “Demons,” “Dear Your Holiness,” and “The Ghost of Saint Valentine,” once again keeping the song and album order mixed so that the crowd remained on their toes. Then, the band paused as Raneri reminisced about all of the amazing shows he and his bandmates saw at Irving Plaza growing up, appreciating the fact that after 18 years as a band, Bayside could be performing on the same stage as some of their idols. Following that touching moment, Bayside kept the momentum building with another mix consisting of “What And What Not,” and “Choice Hops,” with fans cheering as Jack O’Shea shredded out a guitar solo. The crowd screamed along to fan-favorite “Head on a Plate,” though surprisingly no mosh broke out despite how into the music fans were.
Things took a more somber turn after “Howard,” when Raneri discussed why he and the band decided to do a Walking Wounded Tour. He stated that the album is very important to Bayside and that it was written in the wake of the tragic death of Drummer John “Beatz” Holohan who was killed in a van crash while Bayside was on tour. Just to make their New York City show more special, Raneri said the band decided to throw in all of Shudder and that many of these songs were being played live for the first time. After taking a moment to pay respects to Holohan’s memory, Bayside went into “Can’t Go On,” and “Think I’ll Be OK.” The first mosh broke out during the heavy “No One Understands” as fans brought the energy in the room up a few more levels.
Then, Raneri picked up an acoustic guitar for “Carry On,” joking that they chose to play Shudder because it was their least popular album. Screaming along, fans were even louder than Raneri during “Carry On” and “Roshambo” before the band picked back up with “Have Fun Storming the Castle,” “Thankfully,” and another fan-favorite, “Popular Science.” Though the band had already been playing for well over an hour, neither Bayside nor their fans showed any signs of slowing down. It was thrilling to watch the exchange between Bayside and the crowd, and despite the considerable capacity of Irving Plaza, the show felt like it could have been an intimate basement gig.
As if anyone in the room needed further proof that Bayside were masters of setlist creation, they polished off their set with some of their most popular tracks from The Walking Wounded: “I And I,” “Duality,” and “Rite of Passage.” By that point, most bands would have run out of steam, but Bayside gave it their all for their encore, “Landing Feet First.” Fans left the room ecstatic to have been a part of such a memorable and once-in-a-lifetime night.
It was refreshing to see a band be as into their music as their fans, even after so many years together. Bayside proved that they can still go as hard as ever, and it is no wonder that their fans are so devoted and loyal. Though there is only one Walking Wounded tour date left in the U.S., Bayside will take this tour over to the U.K. However, there is no doubt that Bayside will be back soon – the band seems to tour relentlessly, and they are only getting better with time.
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