Manchester Apollo was at full capacity on Sunday, January 30th. Fans waited outside for hours to get into the show. A Day to Remember was supported by two acts, so it was long time for any crowd to wait for their favourite band!
The first band up was experimental rock band Pierce the Veil. Brothers Mike and Vic Fuentes sprang Pierce the Veil out of Southern California’s punk rock scene. The brothers formed their first band in the fall of 1998 under the name ‘Early Times’. The band went down well; they had a lot of presence on stage.
Second act to follow was Bayside, an American rock band from Queens, New York that formed in the winter of 2000. The band has released four full-length albums since signing to Victory Records. Bayside consists of Anthony Raneri as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Jack O’Shea as the lead guitarist, Nick Ghanbarian as the bassist, and Chris Guglielmo as the drummer.
Finally A Day to Remember arrived on stage.
Ten photographers were in the pit. Along with six security guys who were ready and waiting for the crowd to jump over on to the stage as the band came on. The crowd looked as if they were about to burst over the barrier; it swayed from left to right as red faces peered over the metal bars that separated them.
Coats, lighters, and wristbands were thrown to the stage as the band arrives. The lighting was sporadic and unfortunately not very well lit. Photographers ran around the stage trying to keep hold of frontman Jerry McKinnon, who just couldn’t stay in one spot for longer than three seconds it seemed. The lights were low, blue and red – it was hard to catch sight of band’s faces in the darkness.
From Ocala, Florida, A Day To Remember was founded in 2003 by guitarist Tom Denny and drummer Bobby Scruggs. With four studio albums and nine singles, they’re mainly known for their unusual amalgamation of metalcore and pop-punk as a musical style. A Day To Remember had a huge amount of energy on stage, and were certainly a hit with the U.K. crowd.
