Review Summary: I'm seeing Yellowcard live tonight in Philly. This my tribute to them and my pre-show thoughts.
July 11, 2023
Sometimes I can't help but think that I
Had you right behind me all this time
If only you could have a chance to see
All the happiness you gave to me...
Seven years ago today, I actively passed on an opportunity to see you perform at the Vans Warped Tour. I had secluded myself so I could change into my swim trunks and take a dip in the slip and slide. I could hear you announcing to the audience that you were in the midst of a final world tour, whereupon its completion, you would break up. I walked away as the iconic opening riffs to "Ocean Avenue" got going.
I walked away...completely unaware...
That the future in my heart...was just about to start.
After videos of your final show in Anaheim began making the rounds on YouTube, I decided it was finally time to delve into your discography.
Ocean Avenue was the obvious place to start. I'm not sure what kept me coming back. Was it those swelling violins? The coastal, summery vibes? The desperate emotion in Ryan Key's voice? All I know is, I wanted more. That same summer, during a road trip with friends, I stumbled upon
When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes at an FYE. I bought the CD and made a point to pop the disc in when I got home. I listened to that sucker front to back and God f*cking damn it, that album
blew me away. From the plain but brilliant vocals, to the blistering instrumentals, to the baited breath of unrequited courtship that would give way to an exhale of relief and finality on
Southern Air. That one captivated me too. I remember reaching that soaring bridge on "Surface of the Sun" and thinking "God damn it, these guys are special."
We can't forget
Paper Walls, of course. Sometimes jaded, sometimes nostalgic, but always unwavering. That thirteen-track masterpiece truly broke me, made me sing, left me wondering. As my love for your music intensified, I began traversing around the timeline.
Lights and Sounds, the self-titled curtain call, even the oft-forgotten
Lift a Sail. I was head over heels in love with what you guys did, and the only thing that stayed fresh in my mind was how I missed the chance to see you perform live. "Why did I pass you up on Warped? How could I have been so foolish?" When you, Ryan, announced you were coming to my hometown of Scranton, PA for a solo acoustic show (with bassist Josh Portman in tow), there was no doubt in my mind; I would be
front row. And on August 3, 2019, that's exactly where I was. I screamed my lungs out to "Ocean Avenue", almost cried like a baby, took a picture with you, had you sign my copy of
Southen Air and I was on cloud nine. I finally had some closure, even if it couldn't totally substitute not seeing the full band.
Your music has been my solace, my comfort, my escape. When I need to fly down the highway, it's "The Takedown" or "Always Summer." When I need to take a second to pat myself on the back for getting this far, it's "Awakening" or "Here I Am Alive." When I need to be reminded that I will never be alone, it's "Paper Walls." When I've never felt more ready to move on, it's "The Sound of You and Me" or "Be the Young." When I need to be reminded to not repeat past mistakes, I stare down the barrel of my old friend "One Year, Six Months." And of course, when it's time to look up at the same night sky once again, I'm right back at a little place off Ocean Avenue.
Whenever I've needed you, you've been there.
You showed me strength in my skin that no one else could see.
When a friend of mine asked me if I thought you guys would ever reunite, I had been trying to make my peace with the idea of you being gone for good. And so ultimately, the jaded cynic in me overcame the serial idealist, and I wagered that Yellowcard was a thing of the past. Me and my big mouth, huh? Just days later, May 12, 2022, I woke up to the news of a lifetime. A reunion show in Chicago. Maybe I should have booked that flight. Maybe I should have listened to the realist in me saying this might be my last chance to light up the sky. But then again, maybe I'm glad I didn't. Maybe I'm glad the optimist in me rose above in the end. I gambled on letting another opportunity pass me by on the chance you'd announce a full country-wide tour. When you did, there was no stopping me anymore. $267 later, I had secured tickets for me and two of my best friends to see you boys perform at the Skyline Stage at the Mann in Philadelphia, PA.
I hang you up and then I pull you down. I was coming to grips with the possibility that we would never get to this point, only to emotionally reinvest the second that dream came back to life again.
Seven years to the day our story together began, after all the times you pushed me to keep going, all the times you ignited my clear-skied summer nights, after living through these wild years,
I'm coming out alive.
It has all been building up to this.
So go put on your best tonight. It's you and me and one spotlight.
It won't be long now...
Where I was broken, I am healed.
You'll never know how real to me you've been.
Ryan, Sean, Josh, Mendez; I'll see you boys tonight in Philly.
I don't have much that I can give to you
But I know I love the way you make me feel
Like I'm at home and I am not alone.
I love you, Yellowcard. I hope you can see me smiling.
Let your waves crash down on me and take me away.
