2006 called, and it wants you to know that pop punk is still alive and kicking, thanks to the Misery Will Find You tour. The tour, co-headlined by Senses Fail and The Amity Affliction, stopped in New York City last Tuesday to rock the Playstation Theatre as if it were a Saturday night.
Kicking off the night was Belmont, a strong, energetic pop-punk band hailing from Chicago. They’re still pretty new to the scene, as their debut full-length album was released in August. Despite that, they own the stage and deliver a high-energy, incredibly impressive performance that left the crowd wanting more after moshing to a band they barely knew. It’s fair to say that Belmont is bound to be a big name in the pop-punk community soon enough.
Next up was metalcore outfit Silent Planet from California. Their slot on the bill was originally occupied by Bad Omens, who supposedly threw a bit of a tantrum because “They were unhappy about the size of their name on the artwork,” according to Senses Fail’s Buddy Nielsen. Silent Planet was announced to take their place, and everybody agreed that it was a pretty damn good decision. Those who were reluctant certainly changed their minds after witnessing their set. Frontman Garrett Russell seemingly has no limit to his vocal capacity, nor his energy. He certainly got the crowd all riled up in preparation for Senses Fail.
Senses Fail is arguably one of the most fun live bands in the scene today, thanks to singer Buddy Nielsen. Buddy isn’t just a vocalist, he’s an entertainer. He runs around the stage, busts some Brazilian ju-jitsu moves, does cartwheels, jumps off platforms, and interacts with the crowd frequently. Some Twitter users have even compared his stage presence to that of Freddie Mercury. The rest of the band, consisting of bassist Greg Styliades, drummer Steve Carey, and guitarists Jason Milbank and Gavin Caswell, are equally as talented and impressive. They, as always, put on an incredible set at the Playstation Theatre that night. Songs ranged from hits like “Lady in a Blue Dress” and “Shark Attack” to deep cuts like “Negative Space” and “The Priest and the Matador.” They concluded their set with “Bite to Break Skin,” as they always do, but with an added twist: a medley of snippets from “Chop Suey,” “Bodies,” “Break Stuff,” and “Bulls on Parade.” After they left the stage, everybody in the pit was sore, covered in sweat and beer, but grinning and raving about their set.
All of the moshing and headbanging that occured during Senses Fail’s set didn’t tire the crowd out for The Amity Affliction. The adrenaline had kicked in and everybody was ready for another powerful set. They opened with “Drag the Lake” and “Ivy (Doomsday)” off of their most recent album, “Misery.” The songs sounded even better live than they did on the album and experiencing them live was an amazing experience. Additionally, Joel Birch’s vocals have remained nearly impeccable over the years, which is not something many vocalists (especially screamers) can say. The show concluded with the emo-kid anthem “All Fucked Up,” with the crowd screaming along to every word.
As the show let out, everybody’s voice was either hoarse or completely gone from singing along. Some people said they were sore from the pit, others joked about how sweaty they were. Everybody could agree on one thing: those are signs of a great show.
Catch the remaining dates of the tour here!
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