We Need To Find A Way, Just to Keep Our Desire Alive

There have only been a few times when my search for nostalgia has led me astray. I can count the number of times with my fingers. The times when I go to a show anxiously awaiting to relive the glory days of a scene that I grew up in, with the music that made me who I am, only to be completely let down by either the lack of energy or a shift in sound. I hate when that happens because, honestly, it can ruin a band for me. It doesn’t matter how much I love a band or how many tough days they helped me through back in my restless teenage years. If I go see a band from that era now and am let down, it will turn me off, and unfortunately, that’s what happened on Wednesday night at The Fillmore, but there was a twist.

Armor For Sleep did not let me down. This band never lets me down. The first act on the three-band bill, Armor For Sleep, took the stage and jumped into a nostalgia-fueled set with a few new songs scattered in there. I loved being able to get lost in my usual nostalgia. Classics like “Dream to Make Believe” and “The Truth About Heaven” made my heart swoon while tracks from the new album, ‘There Is No Memory’ like ‘The Outer Ring’ and ‘Breathe Again’ reminded me that this band is more than just a trip down nostalgia lane– they are still doing their thing and still producing incredible music. Sonically, this band was on point, and they had the energy to match. Although it wasn’t a wacky and wild show by any means, there was something super genuine and raw about the energy that Armor For Sleep was giving to the audience. That matched with the way that this band never seems to have an off night was the perfect way to kick things off for me. Armor For Sleep has been doing their thing since 2001. Sure, they’ve taken some breaks here and there, but they are clearly not slowing down, and, although entering a new era of this band with their new music, the feeling that I get from the emotions and vulnerability that they lay out in every song still leaves me enamored every time.

Story of the Year, the next band to perform on Wednesday night. I’ll be honest, this was never my band. They are of the right vintage to be one of “my bands,” and they definitely had a following that matched many of the other bands I listened to in the early to mid-2000s, but they didn’t hook me. Their sound felt a bit more radio rock than pop-punk to me. Even when they would get heavy in their tracks, it wasn’t heavy enough for me, and I felt like this band was always just trying to capitalize on whatever was cool at the time. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I ever hated this band, but I just never spent a lot of time with them because, again, it just wasn’t my thing. I’ve seen them a few times here and there over the years, just by default of them opening for other bands I wanted to see, but I was never really hooked by their live performance either. They have always just been one of those bands that is just “there” but not really “it” for me– until Wednesday night.

Maybe it was my mood. Maybe the freezing cold outside made me want to fall in love with something and see the warmth in the music. Maybe it was the vodka Red Bull kicking in– whatever it was, Story of the Year had me floored with their performance. Not only did their sound come off as album-quality, but the way that this band interacted with their fans was amazing. They felt honest and, although they definitely had a flawless sound to their performance, there was still something raw and emotional about it. All of the members seemed to be having a great time on stage, which, after doing this for as long as Story of the Year has been (they started back in 1995 under the name 67 North), was something that made my heart so full. Sure, I’m still not the biggest fan of their music. Their overall sound still had more radio-rock qualities to it than I can typically go for, but after seeing them in the right light as far as their performance was concerned, I can honestly say that I was impressed and hope I get a chance to see them again sooner rather than later.

That was the twist in the night– seeing a band that I didn’t think I liked and falling slightly in love. Now for the plummet back to earth that happened on Wednesday night, and that plummet comes in the name of Senses Fail.

I love Senses Fail. I will always love Senses Fail. Their 2004 album ‘Let It Enfold You’ was the soundtrack to my life for a couple of years. My love for this band resurfaced with their 2018 album, ‘If There Is Light, It Will Find You’. There was just something about this band. From their lyrics to the intensity with which they presented them, and just the overall musical style, Senses Fail was my band. Add in the fact that I absolutely adored vocalist Buddy Nielsen and the way he was so vulnerable and real with his followers both on and off stage, and, well, like I said, I will always love Senses Fail.

Unfortunately, they let me down on Wednesday night. The music was there, but the vocals were not. I couldn’t tell what it was. Was it an off night? I just saw this band in September at Riot Fest in Chicago, and I remember them being one of the highlights of the entire festival for me. Was that just the adrenaline of being at Riot Fest? Don’t get me wrong, Buddy was fun to watch and absolutely connected with the people in the audience on a strong level, but that wasn’t enough to save the show for me. I wanted to hear the classics. I wanted to get lost in the cloud of nostalgia that Armor For Sleep had teased me with, but instead, those classics felt irrecognizable and just rough around the edges to the point where I had no choice but to move to the back of the audience and just hope that I could get lost in the energy rather than the music.

I feel bad. I hate writing bad reviews of bands, especially when it’s a band that means as much to me as Senses Fail, but I pride myself on being honest, and, if I’m being honest, I wish I had never seen Senses Fail on Wednesday night.