- Bayside
One of my assignments for a History of Rock and Roll class that I’m currently taking is to write a concert report. Here it is. I have a requirement to use certain terms and descriptive language so if it sounds kind of … “educational” that’s why. Hope you enjoy it!
Bayside
Anthony Raneri – Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Jack O’Shea – Back-up Vocals, Lead Guitar
Nick Ghanbarian – Back-up Vocals, Bass
Chris Guglielmo – Drums
In honor of New Found Glory’s 6th full-length studio album, the “Not Without a Fight” Tour kicked off on Wednesday, March 25th in Tempe, Arizona. Supporting bands Bayside, Set Your Goals, and Shai Hulud were there in full force last night at the House of Blues in Downtown San Diego for the second night of the tour. Though I’ve been a big fan of New Found Glory since high school, I was more excited to see one of my favorite bands, Bayside.
Since genres are strewn about left and right in today’s music industry, I can only describe Bayside as hard rock/pop-punk/emo. Though not as “poppy” as pop-punk acts one may think of such as New Found Glory, Blink-182, and Green Day, Bayside still has the elements while taking on a harder, distorted guitar sound, complete with solos with tapping and string-bending. The lyrical content seem to have a more of an emotional feel (thus the term “emo”), concentrating on heartbreak and sadness. Bayside’s early albums have this sort of emo feel but the band changes over time, just as the members do.
This particular House of Blues is located in beautiful downtown San Diego, where parking is not a problem since there are clubs, bars and eateries galore. Two bands played first then Bayside’s set took place immediately before the headlining band. They began with a cover song about California falling into the ocean called “Antennas” by Rancid. Knowing that the band is originally from New York, I wasn’t quite sure whether I should be amused or offended, but it was a fun, high-paced song that successfully got the crowd moving nonetheless.
A couple of strong points that Bayside’s set offered were that Nick Ghanbarian was very involved with the crowd. Throughout the show, he was seen standing at the edge of the stage and singing along to the songs without the microphone in order to get the crowd involved. He was also the one who got the crowd clapping along to several songs. Though he was usually the only one actively trying to get the crowd involved, it’s not to say that the other guys weren’t involved. The other strong point is that Jack O’Shea is a very talented guitarist so his solos were fun to watch. Although the volume of all the instruments were equal so that no one individual stood out, you couldn’t help but notice the talent oozing from this amazing guitarist who doesn’t look like he stands much taller than 5’4. Both O’Shea and rhythm guitarist Anthony Raneri use heavily distorted effects on their guitars, but O’Shea’s solos consist of wah-wah and delay effects. Adding to the classic rocker aesthetic on top of the killer solos were his long, drenched-with-sweat hair and his ripped jeans. Chris Guglielmo was also very energetic, even seeming to shimmy at several points of the show while he was working up a sweat behind his drum kit. Finally, lead singer Anthony Raneri did his part by remembering most of the lyrics (he backed away from the microphone and looked lost for a second in the middle of the opening song, which was the only slip-up I noticed). His writing style is very personal and relatable yet slightly exaggerated so Bayside’s first albums give all those kids out there who’s ever been through a horrible break-up something to relate to, while their newer albums have a more positive, take-control-of-your-life feel that gives these kids hope in a world of sad emo kids.
Because Raneri’s songs are easily relatable, the fans reacted very well to the show. This particular show was sold out, but the venue gave everybody ample room to move around while those who wanted to stay near the stage filled the air with their fist-pumps and hand-clapping. Circle pits and crowd surfers were also present in full force, making the show unpredictable and potentially dangerous (or fun) for the crowd. For those not brave enough to join the crowd but who still wanted to enjoy the show from a good view, there was a slightly elevated section in the back where the view was perfect if the right spot was attained. Also, since the venue is two stories, the balcony section served as a great place to see the band, but the feeling of being involved with the band and crowd seemed to be lost.
This particular show was considerably different from when they headlined their very first tour at House of Blues a few years ago. This set didn’t have time to focus on the obligatory acoustic songs one usually finds at a rock show such as this so “Don’t Call Me Peanut” and “Winter” were scratched from the set but singles such as “Masterpiece”, “Devotion and Desire”, “The Walking Wounded”, and “Boy” were included for obvious reasons. Still wanting a tug-at-your-heartstrings type of song in their set at the absence of their acoustic songs, Bayside played “They Looked Like Strong Hands,” a heavily-distorted but slow-paced song about the trials and tribulations of constantly being on the road. This song was rarely played when the band went on tour but it became a staple after the sudden and unfortunate death of their drummer, John “Beatz” Holohan, who was thrown from their tour van during an early morning drive to their next venue.  Raneri sang the song with such passion that it no doubt drew out some emotions in friends and fans of the band who knew Beatz and his talents. It did for me, anyway.
As far as background material, none was provided at the venue for this particular concert other than some posters that were strewn about the building advertising upcoming events. But in this day-in-age, fans of any band can find more than enough information through the wonders of the internet. MySpace allows bands to post bulletins to all their fans announcing information on upcoming events or digital fliers while Twitter allows the band to contact all their fans with custom messages that are updated constantly. Depending on any given person’s level of commitment to the band, information is easily accessible if it is wanted.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the show, even though it wasn’t my favorite by theirs. That is only because when they were the headliners a few years back, the band had more time to focus on their songs and not have to rush through their set. Since they were one of the supporting acts, the set felt a bit rushed but fans of the band made the best of the short period of time they had. As always, band members could be found throughout the evening wandering around the venue to give their fans an opportunity for an autograph, picture, or just plain, old conversation. This sort of atmosphere makes the whole experience all worth while making for a great evening.