I have a large appreciation for anniversary tours. Most of the bands that I’ve seen play their masterworks all the way through are bands I either was not listening to when the album came out, or I simply was too young to attend their concerts.
When Story of the Year released Page Avenue in 2003, I was 10 years old, and had no clue what I had just stumbled into music wise. From the loud guitars to the large choruses, and the “screaming”, it was unlike anything I had ever listened to before.
Page Avenue was a gateway to bands other for me such as Linkin Park, Foo Fighters, and Evanescence. It was my introduction to a world of music that would come to mean so much to me, not only through what I listen to, but what I would later come to do for a living in the music industry. It’s crazy to think that somehow 20 years have flown by so quickly, even crazier to think that some bands have stuck around long enough to have a 20-year tour for their first album; Story of the Year is absolutely one band that we are all the better for still having around.
Last weekend at Bogarts in Cincinnati saw a large, mostly (if not completely) sold out show for Story of the Year’s debut album Page Avenue.
I arrived with enough time to catch scene veterans We the Kings take the stage and open with the classic “Skyway Avenue”; which will never not be a certified bop. They continued to play other hits such as “Say You Like Me”, and everyone’s favorite “Check Yes Juliet”. The crowd was full of older millennials, but their catchy choruses had everyone in the crowd dancing, moving, and singing; the perfect warm up for the headliners.
Next up was the band of the night, Story of the Year, playing the album that brought us the hits “Anthem of Our Dying Day” and “Until the Day I Die”. The band came out strong playing “Hero Will Drown”, which is the usual opener for them, but it really hits different when it is the opening of the album they are touring for. I’ve seen this band live multiple times, and they have always sounded so good you would think it’s pre-recorded, but it’s not, they are just that good.
To hear “Swallow the Knife”, “Razorblades”, and “Burning Years” was incredible. The band made 20-year-old songs sound like they just came out yesterday. Sometimes when you see albums play through shows it feels like you’re being transported back in time, but this wasn’t the case; every song felt big and loud and brand new.
Every band member jumped and moved around on stage; the vocals were on point. Story of the Year is definitely in that group of bands that has hit the 20-year mark and is not only still going strong but is better than ever and literally at their peak.
-Bailee Logan