In 2003, Yellowcard’s breakout, platinum-selling album Ocean Avenue propelled the US pop punk band to success worldwide, with the album’s title track becoming an instant classic. Fast-forward to 2013 and the band are celebrating the album’s 10 year anniversary, releasing an acoustic remake of the songs that captured many of their fans’ teenage years.
Yellowcard are celebrating its release with a throwback tour, performing the entire record from start to finish.
The Sydney stop for the Ocean Avenue tour was all about Yellowcard, with only one support act playing before the headliners. That act was local singer-songwriter Toy Boats, an earnest and enthusiastic performer whose acoustic music straddles the emo genre with heartfelt lyrics and a ballsy performance.
Standing up in front of a solid packed out crowd at the Enmore Theatre, Toy Boats’ Hugo Costin-Neilson looked and sounded thrilled to be there. His songs, stripped back and bare with acoustic guitar and vocals, were well received by the crowd. The set was intimate and raw, and when Hugo left the stage the applause was a testament to his impact.
As Yellowcard’s 9pm stage time approached, the atmosphere was crackling with energy. The punters were singing along to classic pop punk and emo tracks blasting out of the P.A, and when the lights went down, the entire venue screamed.
Yellowcard’s Ryan Key kicked off the evening with three short requests: that the crowd have the best time of their lives, that everybody go home without a voice, and that, just this once, people could put down their smartphones and just enjoy the band in the moment. Considering that the night was a celebration of the largely camera-phone-less 2003, this last request seemed quite appropriate, but was duly ignored by many in the crowd who somehow couldn’t fathom the idea.
A sea of brightly lit rectangular screens aside, the show was nothing short of spectacular. Opening with track one, the instant anthem ‘Way Away’, the band were at the top of their game. It was far from a minimalist performance, with a full band performing almost every song. The music lacked none of its urgency without electric guitars, and Longineu Parson’s drumming was spot on, alternately powerful and subtle as needed.
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Violinist Sean Mackin captured the heart of the crowd over and over, conducting their singing and jumping around the stage with a genuine, disbelieving smile on his face that supported his repeated comment that he couldn’t believe he was there. The string sections that have made Yellowcard such a unique band in an often-oversaturated genre were performed without a stumble, and the reaction from the audience showed how well they knew Ocean Avenue’s every note.
When the band played ‘Ocean Avenue’ itself, the band urged the crowd not to leave right after, poking fun at their biggest single. They needn’t have worried. No one was going to leave that venue till the last song ended. Highlights of the Ocean Avenue set included the quieter ‘Empty Apartment’, where Mackin, Key, and lead guitarist Ryan Mendez recreated one of the most heartfelt songs on the record in a softer style sans percussion and bass.
The best song of the night however, was possibly the 9/11 tribute song ‘Believe’. The roar from the crowd at the end of the song just wouldn’t stop. ‘View From Heaven’ was dedicated to a fan who had tweeted to the band that he had lost his father that day, but it seemed to have its own meaning for every punter there, many of whom were in tears.
The Ocean Avenue set was followed up by a full electric set where the band focused on their four more recent albums. They showcased tracks from Lights and Sounds, Paper Walls, When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes and 2012’s Southern Air. The fact that the crowd were singing along to every word showed just how popular the band have remained with their fans since writing Ocean Avenue – a soundtrack to so many young memories.
