"Metalcore band A Day To Remember have spent over a decade proving that good things can come from Florida and they’re consistently showing us why. From running all our middle school lives in the 2000’s to putting on sold out pop-punk centric music festivals across the nation to their newest adventure, The Degenerates Tour."
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Must See
The Degenerates Tour 2019
Can’t Swim, Beartooth, I Prevail and A Day To Remember
Terminal 5 // New York, NY // November 19th, 2019
Photos and review by Jess Williams
I think we can all agree that very few good things come out of Florida, we’ve all just collectively agreed that Florida and New Jersey are the black sheep of America. However, metalcore band A Day To Remember have spent over a decade proving that good things can come from Florida and they’re consistently showing us why. From running all our middle school lives in the 2000’s to putting on sold out pop-punk centric music festivals across the nation to their newest adventure, The Degenerates Tour. The tour came through New York’s Terminal 5 venue earlier last month on November 19 and featured a stacked lineup of I Prevail, Beartooth and Can’t Swim.
Walking into the venue on Tuesday evening, I was wrestling through crowd of teenagers who reminded me of myself almost a decade ago. In that moment I realized how powerful A Day To Remember are because they fueled my young emo years and though I have grown from it, (not by choice, trust me, adulting frowns upon blasting metalcore in the corporate office) it was refreshing to see that the same band is fueling the next generations young emo years. Beers were flowing throughout the venue and sweat was already dripping from the high school boys foreheads’ before the show even started! I knew I was in for a treat.
Can’t Swim
Can’t Swim opened up the show with a nice pre-dinner time set at 6:30. I had previously seen Can’t Swim at ADTR’s Self Help Festival in Philadelphia two years ago. When the band came on the stage and immediately ripped into “Filthy Rich,” I had to double check if this was the same band. The Can’t Swim that I knew was once a somber and reflective band, but their energy on stage was more of the screamo energy of their tour mates. Nevertheless, I thought that Can’t Swim showcased their new sound and energy in a great way and I really enjoyed their performance. Special favorites were “Power” as well as “sometimes you meet the right people at the wrong times.”
Beartooth
Up next was Beartooth and boy oh boy, was I excited for this set. I have been a Beartooth fan since the beginning stages of the band after, like many, frontman Caleb Shomo departed Attack Attack! to create Beartooth. The metalcore powerhouses brought the most insane energy inside Terminal 5 on Tuesday night, with Shomo even taking note, “New York f**king City, this might be my favorite show I’ve ever played in my life!” The band played a lot of new songs from their last record, including title track “Disease” and “You Never Know,” before ending their set with fan favorite, “In Between.”
I Prevail
We were halfway through the show and I was looking around the venue, extremely thankful that Terminal 5 was a cement floor or else those floorboards would have been busted through with the multiple circle pits that were erupting throughout the crowd. I Prevail took the stage as the final opener of the night. It was a real treat to see them perform, after they were one of the first bands I photographed nearly 5 years ago. The band opened their set with “Bow Down” and while things were getting rowdy in the photo pit with a combined security and photographer total of over 30 people, it was a beautiful sight to see. The passion came through on their faces and the colorful lights accentuated their killer high energy stage presence.
A Day To Remember
The stage was transformed and a massive LED screen was hoisted up at the back of the stage. After a 10 minute delay, A Day To Remember took the stage and immediately dove into “The Downfall of Us All.” The head-banging commenced and before I could even process the beautiful lights and fact that Jeremy McKinnon had just screamed into my camera, crowd surfers were flowing over the barricade like it was Niagara Falls! While ADTR’s setlists have generally remained the same over the course of their last several tours, my favorites are always included “I’m Made of Wax Larry, What Are You Made Of?,” “2nd Suck” and “All I Want.”
The best treat of the night including ADTR’s cover of Lit’s iconic “My Own Worst Enemy” as well as the New York debut of the band’s newest song “Degenerates,” off their forthcoming record. As always, it was an honor and treat to get to see A Day To Remember perform live again. Their energy is always unmatched and always growing and despite a lengthy and successful past, their future is looking brighter than ever!
