The Best Buy Theater is located in Manhattan in close proximity to Times Square and to Broadway, but on this night it would not be attracting the typical theater crowd. Upon entering, you are led down a long escalator that opens up into a lobby. Here, you can buy concessions, alcohol and band “swag.” After following the hallway, you reach a set of small stairs that will lead you into the actual theater and into an environment you might not expect to see. To your left, there are rows of seats that you would find in a traditional concert venue filled with people sitting, drinking, and engaging in some other more explicit “activities” as you could tell from the smell of the air. To the right, you see a large open area in front of the stage also filled with people, who were clearly anxious for the show to begin.
The audience is predominantly white and young, mostly men, but definitely a fair share of women. Most everyone is dressed the same; band T-Shirts rule the majority, but a lot of flannel shirts and unnecessarily tight jeans are present as well. Regardless of wardrobe choice, it is important to know that whatever you are wearing you better not be too attached to it because there is a very good chance it will never be the same afterward. These people are not here on happenstance, they are here to see Bayside and are ready for them. There is a lot of moshing and a lot of crowd surfing, but actually fighting is not tolerated, and the inappropriate groping of women, who are trying to crowd surf is also not OK. It would appear from the outside as though it is somewhat controlled chaos, but in fact there are things that are definitely not tolerated. This may sound crazy, but there is a level of responsibility that all these fans take for one another’s well being. At one point, a fight broke out and strangers in the crowd quickly separated the two individuals. If someone fell in the pit, random people around them held off the crowd and helped them back to their feet. They received a pat on the back and a smile followed by a good hard shove to the chest as the excitement began again. Truly, it is a unique environment in which violence and aggression create an element of comradery amongst complete strangers, who want to have a good time, but don’t want to see anyone get seriously hurt.
The performance itself was amazing. The set wasn’t bogged down with only new music that hadn’t really been heard before. This band knew what their fans wanted to hear and they didn’t disappoint. They were very animated on stage and did a lot of jumping around and interacting with the audience, calling for sing alongs and even at one point towards the end, during a strictly acoustic song, the lights went dark and the lead singer appeared in the middle of the crowd with a microphone and guitar and sang from the center of the room while everyone sang with him word for word. There wasn’t a lot of improvisation and for the most part they played the songs as they sounded on their albums, but no one was complaining.
The music highlighted the melody of the songs, and the ensemble was pretty typical: a lead guitar, a bassist, a drummer, and a lead singer, who also played second guitar. They expressed themselves through movement, but the singer definitely does it through his words. The songs are mostly sung and not screamed, and you can understand what he is singing throughout. The lyrics cover a variety of topics from love lost to anger towards an ex, concern for friends and even the death of loved one. I will offer you a few examples from some of their work and let the imagery speak for itself. One selection is from their song “Masterpiece” and it is about a friend, who will not stop living a party lifestyle and will not grow up, due to some emotional pain they feel: “If I could take your pain and frame it, and hang it on my wall. Then maybe you would never have to hurt at all. And I’m painting pictures of red and blue, a portrait bruised, just like you.” Another selection is from their song “Pigsty” and it is clearly about a former lover, who the singer is not very fond of: “Your name is filth, cuz that’s all you spew from your mouth, I think your moral compass is broken only pointed south. And I wear my scars, like rings on a tree there they are, showing my age and proving where I’ve been so far.” In my opinion, their most impressive trait is in fact their songwriting and the powerful emotion you can feel from hearing the words they use. That is what attracted me to them in the first place and has made me a fan for years.
Overall, this concert was one of the best I have been to. I have had the pleasure of seeing a lot of different artists with drastically different styles, but this show will stick out in my memory as one of the best. One definitely has to be prepared for the environment that they are walking into, but if they can embrace it, then it will only make the experience that much better. I would and hopefully will be seeing them again in the future. Although maybe I won’t get quite so involved next time, since I was sore for about a week after. I left that show sweaty, exhausted, and a little bloody, but with an amazing memory shared with friends that will last a lifetime and be talked about by us for many years to come.
-Ian O'Keeffe
