Story of the Year packs Liberty Hall in Page Avenue 20-year anniversary show
Story of the Year at Liberty Hall // photo by Emily Jacobs
Story of the Year is back and better than ever with their latest album, Tear Me to Pieces, their first in six years. The record manages to sound modern while still encompassing the original Story of the Year sound, showing that they haven’t lost their passion even after over 20 years as a band. It’s also their first release since the return of original bass player, Adam Russell, who also provides backing vocals.
However, taking the forefront for this tour was Story of the Year’s debut album, Page Avenue, which celebrated its 20-year anniversary this year. Page Avenue kickstarted the band’s career, making them big players in the emo music scene. In a way, it’s fitting that this tour comes in the wake of an album that goes back to the band’s roots while still creating something new and different.
The night began with Youth Fountain, the alternative emo solo project of Tyler Zanon. Zanon talked about listening to Story of the Year growing up, and what a dream come true it was to open for them. He got the night off to a good start, setting the vibes for Four Year Strong to take the stage next.
Youth Fountain at Liberty Hall // photo by Emily Jacobs
Four Year Strong is always a good time, known for being one of several bands to popularize “easycore”—a subgenre that blends pop-punk and hardcore punk. Their sound errs closer to pop-punk, broken up by heavy breakdowns, and they set themselves further apart from other bands by featuring three vocalists, with Alan Day and Dan O’Connor collaborating on lead vocals—along with guitars and keyboards—and Joe Weiss providing backing vocals, along with bass guitar. They’ve also managed to keep the same lineup for almost 20 years.
They played a good mix of songs from their newest album, Brain Pain—released in 2020—and some of the older hits, such as “It Must Really Suck to Be Four Year Strong Right Now” and “We All Float Down Here.” They hammered out their setlist in quick succession, hardly stopping to catch their breath, accompanied by flashing lights that paired perfectly with their sound and pacing.
Four Year Strong // photo by Emily Jacobs
Even with nearly 30 minutes between sets, the crowd was still bubbling from Four Year Strong’s set by the time Story of the Year took the stage. It didn’t seem possible for the energy reverberating throughout the venue to grow even bigger, but it did. Story of the Year gained a significant amount of their popularity based on their stage presence, and that night, it was easy to see why. Lead singer Dan Marsala practically flew around stage to a background of bright LED lights, flanked by Russell and lead guitarist Ryan Phillips on either side—at times making it to the edge of the stage, making their performance seem somewhat intimate even though Liberty Hall was jam-packed.
“It feels like someone’s gonna assassinate a president in the 1800s,” Marsala said of the venue, which led to several president-themed jokes throughout the night.
Story of the Year lead vocalist Dan Marsala // photo by Emily Jacobs
They opened with “And the Hero Will Drown,” the first track on Page Avenue. Throughout the set, they would play every song off the album, but they didn’t play them in order. They also peppered in a few songs from their newest album, and even included a track from their lesser-known 2005 album, In the Wake of Determination.
The second to last song was replaced with a medley of covers of popular emo songs, including “Ocean Avenue” by Yellowcard, “Cute Without the ‘E’ (Cut From the Team)” by Taking Back Sunday, “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” by My Chemical Romance, and “The Taste of Ink” by The Used—playing one verse and chorus of each song.
“We’ve made a lot of friends over the last 20 years—those are a few of them,” said Marsala.
They ended the night with the song everyone had anxiously been waiting for all night, “Until the Day I Die.” Fans rushed the barricade at the end, scrambling to get a guitar pick, drumstick, or setlist—with some sticking around until security had to clear everyone out.
Story of the Year doesn’t make it out to Lawrence often, which they mentioned throughout their set, but they made up for it with this banger of the show, both with their standout performance and two fantastic openers.
Their new album, Tear Me to Pieces, is available for streaming on Apple Music or Spotify, and the CD is available here. There’s also a 20-year anniversary edition vinyl of Page Avenue available here.
