Anthony Raneri of Bayside performing at The Fillmore in San Francisco, CA. April 26, 2017. Photo Credit: Jared Stossel
Bayside
Say Anything
w/ Reggie and the Full Effect
The Fillmore
San Francisco, CA
April 26, 2017
Writing and photos by Jared Stossel
In the early 2000s, a offshoot of the punk and pop-punk music scenes was beginning to form. It wasn't quite "alternative" rock (at least by today's standards) but it wasn't quite pop-punk. There are blanket terms that can be used to classify this genre, and I'm sure a lot of people call these bands pop-punk. I never classified them as such, and have never been able to find a way to do so. Among those at the forefront of this scene, which dominated festivals like the Vans Warped Tour in 2007 and 2008, were two bands of various influence: Bayside and Say Anything.
Many bands from that era have come and gone. It's always exciting to know that a little piece of history still remains and is still producing fresh material, with Bayside and Say Anything both releasing their seventh studio albums in 2016. For many fans in attendance, seeing a tour like this come to fruition was a dream come true.
Opening support was provided by the highly entertaining Reggie and the Full Effect. The band is lead by James Dewees, and is his solo project apart from his tenure in The Get Up Kids. The songs in Reggie and the Full Effect's set list are generally short, straight to the point, and fun. Their set begins with no formal introduction, just Dewees drinking a beer and talking to fans through a microphone for a good minute or so. It's engaging and fun, and a great way to start off the night.
Say Anything, the angst-filled, energetic and all-around-good-time band fronted by Max Bemis, took the stage next, immediately launching into "Do Better", a fan favorite from their self-titled album. A personal favorite of mine, Shiksa (Girlfriend) (from the double-album In Defense of the Genre) followed, with a massive reaction and sing-along from the crowd in attendance. The emotion-filled set covered a number of tracks that spanned their career, concluding with "Alive With The Glory of Love" from their breakthrough album, ...Is A Real Boy.
Bayside began their set in a unique format, with vocalist Anthony Raneri materializing at the front of the barricade, just as a single spotlight shines on him. The opening vocal lines to "They Looked Like Strong Hands", from their 2005 self-titled album, was sung by both Raneri and the crowd, with the latter almost drowning out the former's vocals. With a smile on his face, he jumped back onstage to join his fellow bandmates and run straight into tracks like "Sick, Sick, Sick" (Killing Time, 2011), "Big Cheese" (Cult, 2014), and "The Walking Wounded" (The Walking Wounded, 2007). While it was interesting that the band only included one track from their most recent effort, Vacancy, in their set list, it was met with great reception from the crowd. 2016's "Mary" was followed by "Duality", one of the band's most well-known songs from 2011's Killing Time.
As the night came to a close, Bayside performed another highly anticipated set list pick, "Devotion and Desire". Amidst all of the chaos in the world, fans were able to find solace in the fact that they could have a night filled with incredible music, from two of the biggest names in this coveted subgenre of pop-punk and alternative rock.
Bayside Set List:
They Looked Like Strong Hands
Already Gone
They're Not Horses, They're Unicorns
Sick, Sick, Sick
Masterpiece
Big Cheese
The Walking Wounded
Blame It On Bad Luck
Boy
Mary
Duality
Montauk
Dear Your Holiness
I and I
Don't Call Me Peanut
The Whitest Lie
Hello Shitty
Devotion and Desire
Say Anything Set List:
Do Better
Shiksa (Girlfriend)
Belt
Slowly, Through A Vector
Hate Everyone
Peace Out
Night Song
Give A Damn
Six, Six, Six
Every Man Has A Molly
Spidersong
Alive With The Glory of Love
Bayside
www.baysidebayside.com
www.facebook.com/bayside
@BaysideBand
Say Anything
www.sayanythingmusic.com
www.facebook.com/sayanything
@SayAnythingMuz
Reggie and the Full Effect
www.facebook.com/reggieandthefulleffect
This has been another Shameless Promotion.