Webster Hall filled with excited New Yorkers for an evening of high energy music with Saves the Day and Joyce Manor on Friday.
The guys of Saves the Day don’t jump around like they used to, but the nostalgic notes of their signature early-2000s pop punk had the crowd singing and throwing their fists in the air. The band played 23 songs at full tilt, barely letting the fans catch their breath.
At the end of their time onstage, the long set still didn’t feel like enough. The audience clearly wanted more, shouting the words to songs like “Cars and Calories” and “Say You’ll Never Leave”, and turning the middle of the venue into a floor-shaking mosh pit. Fans hung off the balcony to scream along to their favorite songs and the volume stayed elevated throughout the night. Saves the Day brought pure joy to their audience, making sure to thank them and their tourmates Joyce Manor for a great summer outing.
California quartet Joyce Manor had the fans pressing ever closer to the barricade as the first strains of “Beach Community” started the second round of mosh pits. The perpetually classic “Heart Tattoo” was the perfect segue into a headlining set to remember.
Like Saves the Day, Joyce Manor played through a lengthy setlist, throwing new songs in with the fan favorites. Singer Barry Johnson spoke infrequently throughout, but expressed the band’s gratitude for a sold out night in New York City. Because of venue renovations, the band hadn’t visited Webster Hall in several years, and Johnson joked about their collective inebriation at their last visit- vowing to remember Friday night with more clarity this time.
One thought was at the forefront the entire night- this band has grown and evolved into a true musical force. Their riffs were practiced and delivered flawlessly, Johnson’s vocals soared and the set as a whole was packed a solid punch with no filler.
But of course, all good things must reach their end. The band closed their main set with the artfully-named “Catalina Fight Song” and “Christmas Card” before deafening chants from the crowd brought them back out for an encore of “Leather Jacket”, “Orange Julius” and “Derailed”.
Webster Hall was graced with the presence of these two amazing bands, a perfect night for a wonderfully executed tour lineup that combined pop punk nostalgia with the next generation of bands to steal the hearts of the scene.
Check out more photos from the show!
Story by Olivia Khiel
Photos by Blake Benard and Olivia Khiel