The Maximum Fun Tour With A Day To Remember and Yellowcard Ignites Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The Maximum Fun Tour is currently slamming across North America to packed Venues. The Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota welcomed the tour which features A Day To Remember, Yellowcard, The Wonder Years and Dinosaur Pile Up which due to visa issues has not been able to join the tour yet. The anticipation was high but the bands not only met those expectations, but crushed them.

 

“The Maximum Fun Tour” which features A Day To Remember, Yellowcard and The Wonder Years were greeted to a packed venue, the Armory, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A fourth band, Dinosaur Pile Up, was on the bill but have not been able to join the tour yet. The anticipation was high and you could feel the energy in the air as the crowd waited for the show to begin. 

 

 

The Wonder Years hit the stage first. Formed in 2005 in Lansdale, Pennsylvania and have released seven full length albums. Spanning the genres of pop punk, alternative rock and Emo, the band has carved out a devoted fan base over the years and they were in full force as soon as they started. Vocalist Dan Campbell led the charge from the stage and it seemed like he connected with every single fan there. Opening with “I Don’t Like Who I was Then” the band ripped through a eleven song set that closed with “Came Out Swinging.” This was my first time seeing the band and hearing many of these songs for the very first time and I enjoyed it enough to go back and explore the bands catalog. 

 

 

If you were a music fan back in 2003, they you know the song “Ocean Avenue” by Yellowcard. It was a song that broke through on MTV’s Total Request Live and it put Yellowcard on the map on a global scale. Over two decades later, I finally got to see the band live. There are only two original members left from that era, vocalist and guitarist Ryan Key and violinist Sean Mackin but the signature sound of the band has always revolved about Key’s vocals and the heavy fusion of the violin into their music. A surprising opener of the Top Gun Anthem was really cool and it led to the classic “Only One.” The stage set-up was fantastic and they left nothing unturned with CO2, pyro, and plenty of lighting that really added to the experience. Without a doubt, a highlight for me was the third cut of the night “Lights and Sounds.” The pyro lit the armory up and the song really amped up the crowd. Yellowcard sounded fantastic and those crafty hooks layered in the music really shined in the live setting. The band had just released their eleventh studio album called ‘Better Days’ on October 10 and played the first of three songs that would make the set fifth with “Honestly I.The set was fifteen songs long and it was a beautiful journey back in time and these brought to life songs that were an integral parts of peoples lives. The set really highlighted the bands entire discography and was a testament to how many great songs they have. Another highlight for me was hearing the new song “Better Days’ played as it feels like a throwback to that classic sound that brought me to the band in the beginning. I don’t think there was a cell phone not recording when they closed with “Ocean Avenue.” Everybody wanted to capture that moment in time which further proves just how big that song was and is still in the hearts and minds of people. A super great set from Yellowcard and I can finally say I saw them live. 

 

With a backdrop of something right out of the hit series ‘Land Of The Lost,” A Day To Remember hit the stage with one of my all time favorite songs by the band, “The Downfall Of Us All.” The intensity of the entire venue went to level ten as people were jumping, yelling, singing, throwing their arms in the air a CO2 cannons shot up into the air from the front of the stage. This wasn’t just another concert to stand around and watch, this was an experience that people were diving into without any hesitation. The intensity picked up with the second song “I’m Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of?” The crowd surfing was non-stop which kept pit crew extremely busy trying to catch people as they got to the rail. They attacked with a doses of post-hardcore and pop punk and whatever else you want to call it or describe it as, but it was electric, loud and intense. The man at the center of it all was vocalist Jeremy McKinnon. He set the tone for the entire evening with his infectious energy and personality. He brought all the heavy when the songs required it and could take it back down when needed. He engaged the crowd the entire night as wanted every fan to connect to the show on the stage. 

 

 

 

The band released ‘Big Ole Album Vol. 1’ this year which was their eighth studio album. With so many fantastic songs to choose from, the set consisted of seventeen songs, five of which were from the new album with “Flowers” and “Bad Blood” being my favorites from the new record. I loved “Right Back at it Again,” “The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle” and “Have Faith In Me.”  The set closed with one of the best bangers in the ADTR catalog, “All I Want” which as heavy as it is catchy. An absolute fan favorite and sing along. It’s a anthem that has stood the test of time and the crowd when crazy during that song. The last song of the night was another ultimate sing-along with “All Signs Point To Lauderdale.” A perfect way to close the night and a truly great moment as everybody in the building was completely lost in its melody. This was a really fun night of music from everybody with A Day To Remember capping the night off and proved once again that they are one of the funnest acts to see live.