Yellowcard fans could have very easily given up on the band when they suddenly took the ever-popular “hiatus” over the last few years, something singer Ryan Key wasn’t shy about during the band’s show on Wednesday night. “I know some of you were pretty pissed off for that,” Key said in front of a sold out Irving Plaza, “but we are fucking stoked to be here; nobody leaves this building tonight with a voice.”

But that wasn’t just normal concert banter; from the opener “For You and Your Denial” to the encore it was clear how happy the members of Yellowcard were to be back in New York playing a headlining show, their first as a full band in five years.

With three (and sometimes four) part vocals, dueling guitar parts that often matched up with Sean Mackin’s dizzying viloin playing, and Key’s constant energy, the veteran band gave every fan something to smile about during the set. The floor of the venue shook each time a song off of Ocean Avenue started, echoing the rowdier shows that the band used to play in the early 2000s (and showcased on their live DVD, shot at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia). “Breathing” and “Way Away” helped keep the energy high early in the set as the five-piece began to mix in songs from their new record, When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes. 

While newer material is often hard to gather support for when it comes to veteran bands, the crowd on hand at Irving Plaza totally embraced it. They cheered the faster songs like “The Sound of You and Me,” and called their loved ones while they swayed during ballads like “Hang You Up.” Key and the gang then turned up the nostalgia, finishing the set with “Lights and Sounds” and “Only One,” and even threw “October Nights” into the encore, a song he admitted was written and released when most of the crowd was in diapers.

What this all really meant is that Yellowcard is once again firing on all cylinders, and this show helped mark that return to the form they oh-so-abruptly left just a few years ago. The band knew it, the fans recognized it, and Key promised near the end of the set that it all signified a new beginning, saying: “We’re going to need you guys to tell the world that Yellowcard is back.” Mission accepted.

- Sean O’Kane

 

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 PHOTOS BY MELISSA TERRY