▣House of Blues | Anaheim, CA ▣Friday, June 20th 2024
▣Photographer/Journalist: Jason Jackson

Twenty-five years into their career, Bayside doesn’t sound like a band clinging to the past. If anything, they’ve grown sharper in their intent, cutting deeper with less effort. At the night two Anaheim stop of their Errors Tour, Bayside didn’t try to overstate their legacy. They just played like they had nothing to prove, which is what made the show land as hard as it did.

The night opened with a short but tuned-in set from Smoking Popes. Their brand of melodic punk hasn’t changed much over the decades, but it didn’t need to. The set was clean, tight, and genuine, exactly the kind of pacing that works when you’re setting the table for a band like Bayside.

When Bayside walked out, they opened with “How to Ruin Everything (Patience)” a song that feels newer than it is, off their 2023 album There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive. That song choice set the tone. This wasn’t a greatest-hits night. It was a curated path through their discography that felt equal parts memory and momentum.

There were no visuals, no oversized stage production. Just lighting and tension, the way punk-adjacent shows used to be before LED walls became standard. What stood out instead was pacing. “Interrobang” followed closely, then “Already Gone,” then “Duality.” The sequencing was tight, but never rushed. Even in the faster moments, there was breath.

Throughout the set, Bayside pulled from nearly every album: Sirens and Condolences, Walking Wounded, Cult, Shudder, Killing Time. Deep cuts like “Castaway” and “The New Flesh” sat alongside more obvious staples without feeling like forced callbacks. “Stuttering” and “Prayers” hit harder than expected live, both sonically and emotionally.

There wasn’t a lot of talking between songs, and that felt intentional. The crowd didn’t need convincing, and the band didn’t need to fill space. Instead, what filled the room was a kind of weight that comes when a band is completely aligned, musically and personally. Antony Raneri’s vocals were sharp. Controlled when they needed to be, but willing to fracture at the edges. Jack O’Shea’s guitar work continues to be one of Bayside’s most underrated elements, nuanced, aggressive without showboating. Bass and drums held things down without ever slipping into autopilot.

The final stretch of the show included “Objectivist on Fire,” and after a short pause, they closed the night with “Bury Me” and “Sick, Sick, Sick.” It’s the kind of closer that sent the crowd into a frenzy and chanting for one more.

Bayside’s 25 years haven’t been about reinvention, but rather refinement. And what they offered in Anaheim wasn’t nostalgia, it was craft. Not a celebration of the past, but an active continuation of it. The crowd, like the band, didn’t act like they were stuck in any one era. Everyone just showed up, still here.

Check out our contributor photographer, Jason Jackson photos now!

SMOKING POPES

BAYSIDE

Check out the band websites for more info –

Smoking Popes

Bayside