Yellowcard Brought Nostalgia Back To Houston, TX

Tuesday afternoon, Houstonian elder emos gathered within 713 Music Hall for a night of pure nostalgia for Yellowcards ‘20 years of Ocean Avenue’ Tour. Alongside them was Mayday Parade, Story Of The Year, and This Wild Life. I was really stoked to be able to cover this show since I grew up listening to Yellowcard and Mayday Parade religiously. Unfortunately for me, I was a bit late coming in due to excessive traffic and child arrangements so that led to me missing the first bit of the show and missing This Wild Life completely. I did hear from many of my friends attending that they put on a fantastic twenty-minute set and did a nice little cover of Blink 182’s “I Miss You”. When I arrived, the venue was already packed… drinks were flowing, merch was being bought, and excited fans were squeezing together for what was yet to come. As many know, Yellowcard announced their “Farewell” tour back in 2016, so fans were rightfully stunned once the news broke out about the possibility of a tour for 2023. “Announcing a Yellowcard tour is something I never thought we would get to do again,” frontman Ryan Key said in a press release. “Much less, a tour with bands of this caliber made up of such amazing people and good friends. Being given the opportunity to play music together again is truly a gift that we are not taking for granted. We are going to make these shows extremely special for all of the fans who we have missed so much these last six years.”

I do have to say, they did indeed make one hell of a special night for us here in Houston.

Story Of The Year, an American rock band from Louis, Missouri joined the stage for their seven-song set-list and really got the crowd up and pumped. “And The Hero Will Drown” emerges from the speakers and instantly, we all knew, It was time for some moshing. As hands were in the air, and fans were screaming their lungs out, the band was cheesin’ from ear to ear and soaking up every second of it. They were just as pumped as we were, almost like we were just feeding into each other’s energy. It was truly incredible. These guys really know how to get a crowd going, they are fantastic performers and quite frankly, I’m surprised they aren’t playing much bigger venues yet. Ending their bright neon set with “In The Shadows” and “Until The Day I Die”, Story Of The Year reminded fans of how much they loved being here and what a ride this was for them. These guys deserve it all and they are an intensely incredible band to see live.

Up next we had Florida originated emo gurus Mayday Parade, and man was I excited to see them. I felt the inner Junior High punk kid Krystie emerge from within and it was like I was discovering their music all over again. Starting off with “Oh Well, Oh Well” and “More Like A Crash”, lead singer Derek Sanders was yet again hiding within his long luscious hair locks and pacing back and forth on stage. Once you are a fan of Mayday Parade, there really is no going back. You become a ride or die fan and will continue to catch them every time they roll into town. Each time I’ve seen them so far, they continue to exceed my expectations every single time, getting better and better in ways I didn’t think possible. These guys pour their hearts and souls on stage and it really just makes you appreciate them even more. Continuing with more throwback jams like “Miserable At Best” and “Jersey” the crowd was really emotional at this point, myself included, and it was really a beautiful thing. By this time the floor was completely filled with humans, everyone had their drinks in hand and was starting to really settle in place for Yellowcard. As I looked down from the third story balcony, their last song of the night “Jamie All Over” started playing and that’s when the crowd went nuts. This was when everyone was singing along, some crying along, and pure bliss radiated throughout the air. Mayday Parade will always be one of my favorite bands to see live… everything from the calm visuals, gorgeous vocals, and the obvious nostalgic vibes really makes for a quick refresh on life in a way. It’s hard to explain, so it’s best to catch them when they roll into your town.

Finally it was time for what 90% of the fans were here for, the return of the masterminds Yellowcard, the anticipation was finally over and the stage lit with blue. Screams and rounds of applause filled the venue as the band joined the stage. Everyone was legit losing their minds with excitement at this point. Starting with “Way Away” and “Breathing” They sounded just as tight and on point as ever… almost as if they never had their little hiatus. Continuing with “Lights and Sounds” and “Believe” The crowd was the loudest and alive I’ve seen all night and that was without any breaks from the band to even say a thing to us. Yellowcard at this point was thriving on stage. They looked and sounded incredible and I still couldn’t believe I was witnessing it all. I have never seen a crowd look so amazed and in love, even the handful of children were having the time of their lives alongside their elder emo parents. I must admit, seeing the kids was probably the highlight of it all. They were all so adorable and some even rocking out in their oversized Yellowcard tee’s. Parenting done 100% right!

Mayday Parade’s Derek Sanders joined the stage to sing along with Ryan during “Hang You Up” and this is when my heart almost exploded. I feel so cheesy saying this but holy shiz it was pulling all the emotion strings and I’m sure many felt the same. All in all, Yellowcard was here to remind us of the 2000 era and to let us know that they were back and better than ever and nothing was going to hold them back again. As I expected, “Ocean Avenue” was the last song of the night to send it off with a bang and by this point we were all in awe of the night we just experienced. The surrealness of it all was really sinking in and it was almost sad in a way that it was about to be all over. Yellowcard really came through that night and brought us back to a whirlwind of emotions to say the least. I’m still in shock that I was able to be there and photograph it all as It is by far one of the best shows I’ve experienced this year.

Yellowcard is back, yall!