Justin Nuoffer CONCERT PHOTOS + REVIEW
A Day To Remember, Four Year Strong, The Story So Far, Scowl
Eagles Ballroom – 7/26/24 – Milwaukee, WI
©Justin Nuoffer/Nuoffermedia.com
On a gorgeous evening in the city of Milwaukee, WI the temps were warm and the skies were golden. The city couldn’t have been any busier with multiple festivals and a Brewers game occurring simultaneously. Outside of the Eagles Ballroom though a line formed early and stretched down the street and around the corner. The venue had three rooms filled and running with performances. However, the only show that had a mass of people waiting was A Day To Remember upstairs in the famed ballroom.
As the doors opened, a slow flood of patrons moved through the side of the building and through security. Leading up the stairs into the giant foyer the Will Call windows on the right-hand side were packed and the giant doors to outside were pinned open. The courtyard held the merchandise booths. The lines wrapped around the outdoor space. The food options were plentiful and busy as well. Heading back into the venue and up two flights of stairs you enter the purple and gold trimmed ballroom. The noise was already loud and the entire security rail up front was filled almost instantly.
Opening support on the bill was Scowl. Scowl are young up-and-comers from Southern California. Their hardcore punk brand of art punched you in the mouth, chipped your teeth, and kept you begging for more. Their 2023 EP Psychic Dance Routine and 2021’s How Flowers Grow are the main focus of the set. With addictive two-minute songs, they set the tone early. Scowl will be headliners soon enough and proved their weight in gold.
Backing them up on the bill, Four Year Strong came out and delivered a powerful punk punch filled with tasty riffs and emphatic choruses. With a new album ready to drop this August, the foursome delivered two songs “Daddy of Mine” and “Uncooked” to a crowd that was ready to sing the words back to them. In their 35-minute set, they ripped through eight songs covering five albums. No time for chit-chat. It was all about delivering songs such as “Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die” and “We All Float Down Here” from their early catalog.
The Story So Far pulled no punches as direct support either. The in-your-face brand of straightforward indie rock warmed up the stage even further. Moving through a setlist that was comprised of songs across all five of their releases, vocalist Parker Cannon felt every word he sang. The pure emotion was written all over his face. At one point he even stopped the show to see if a fan was injured. The safety of the fans is always welcome and the entire band was on the edge of the hardwood stage trying to make sure the person was good to continue. While the humanity was great the performance was even better. Their final three songs were by far their strongest of the evening: “Watch You Go’, “Big Blind”, and “Proper Dose”. The Story So Far left it all out on the stage and they used every inch of it, tearing through riffs and commanding attention from the very start. Hard not to have loved it.
A Day To Remember turned the Eagle’s Ballroom stage into a party atmosphere with confetti cannons filling the air and spreading joy within the first few moments of “Sticks & Bricks”. Their “The Least Anticipated Album Tour” had the Eagles Ballroom packed to the absolute max. After 20 years of touring and producing seven full-length albums, the fandom remained strong. Their music going viral on TikTok gave them longevity and exposed them to a much younger crowd. The ages of attendees ranged from those with fresh youthful faces to the grey-haired and needing a day off the next morning to recover.
This performance had a little bit of everything. The CO2 cannons reigned supreme throughout the entire evening, but the encouragement of crowd surfing on a crowd surfer, beach balls with the ADTR logo stamped on the side, cell phone lights and of course, toilet paper roll throws were all part of the entertainment. They brought the fun and forced you to enjoy it while singing at the top of your lungs.
Mainly focusing on two of their most popular releases, Homesick and What Separates Me From You the band pumped out twenty-one tracks. Vocalist Jeremy McKinnon stated rather emphatically that the setlist is curated to perform the maximum amount of songs within an hour-and-a-half time frame as possible. Covering Marshmellow‘s “Rescue Me” and Kelly Clarkson’s “Since You’ve Been Gone” were pleasant surprises and provided an enjoyable atmosphere by breaking up the heavy riffs. “If It Means A Lot To You” provided a unique acoustic side to the band with one last confetti blast before heading into the encore break. The moment provided arguably the largest sing-along moment of the night. Closing the night out, “It’s Complicated” and “The Downfall of Us”. Then just like that the lights came on and the audience chanted for more. No one wanted the night to end.
There would be no way anyone could walk away from the Eagle’s Ballroom and not have had a great time. A Day To Remember brought nothing but good vibes and positivity. The smiles from the patrons while leaving the venue were everywhere. With no new album being released the band just played their fan favorites and that will always resonate. It is how artists build and keep their following. ADTR know this formula and executed it to perfection. Truly a can’t-miss night out.
Check out our concert photos from A Day to Remember below:
Check out our concert photos from The Story So Far below:
Check out our concert photos from Four Year Strong below:
Check out our concert photos from Scowl below:
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