The Trocadero is probably my all-time favorite Philadelphia venue, yet it’d been almost three years since I saw a concert there until Friday night’s sold-out Bayside/Saves the Day show.
With opening acts Transit and I Am the Avalanche, Bayside and Saves the Day shared the spotlight as co-headliners on the first gig of their fall tour. Fans who went to both shows said the previous night (10/6/11) Bayside came on last, and so on this night, Saves the Day would be closing.
I got a great spot side-stage for Bayside’s set, and the energy was definitely high. Sporting a Minor Threat t-shirt, lead vocalist Anthony Raneri knew how to work the crowd, and I never heard such loud sing-alongs in this venue before, especially when Raneri came out with his acoustic for the wonderful ballad “Don’t Call me Peanut.”
The band played some definite fan favorites, such as “Montauk” and “Devotion and Desire” off of their 2005 self-titled album. I was extremely psyched to hear “The Walking Wounded,” for which Vinnie Caruana (I Am the Avalanche) came on stage to contribute vocals. Bayside also performed “Just Enough to Love You” from their 2004 debut, as well as “It’s Not a Bad Little War” from their latest release, Killing Time.
I went upstairs to the bar section to watch Saves the Day, and there were definitely some hardcore fans in the balcony. The only downside was the bar having a TV, so every five minutes an outburst about the Phillies game would interrupt the set.
I was disappointed that STD played my personal favorite “Sell My Clothes, I’m Off to Heaven” the night before, yet I got to see them perform “Freakish,” “Shoulder to the Wheel,” “Rocks Tonic Juice Magic” and their ultimate anthem, “At Your Funeral,” which closed out the night.
Overall, I was surprised how divided fans were in regards to the bands who performed. About half the people I spoke to were there to see I Am the Avalanche, whose set I unfortunately didn’t get there on time to see. The remaining half were either die-hard Saves the Day or Bayside fans, each who never heard of the other bands performing.
Upon leaving, I overheard someone say that the Troc was closing in the near future. I truly hope this was just hearsay.