Bayside Embraces Dark & Heavy At Detroit’s St. Andrews Hall (SHOW REVIEW/PHOTOS)

Winter squalls with snow and freezing rain couldn’t keep Bayside’s fans away from a sold-out gig at Detroit’s St. Andrew’s Hall on March 3rd. The veteran NYC rockers have a new record, The Blue EP, due out later this month, but gave the crowd a wide-ranging sample of their discography, from their earlier self-titled record and The Walking Wounded to their latest singles. Here are five moments that stood out from the show: 

I Am the Avalanche Warm Up the Crowd

Before Bayside took the stage, fellow New Yorkers I Am the Avalanche helped warm up the crowd. The band’s newer cut, “Honey Bee,” got the crowd bobbing with its crushing riff breakdown to the crash of cymbals. And they hit their stride toward the end of their set on the standout cut “Gratitude,” with the squiggly opening guitar riff counterbalancing the track’s heaviness, throaty vocals, and headbanging closing. 

Starting the Right Way

Bayside seized the crowd’s attention from the get-go. As the lights came up, drummer Chris Guglielmo was solely highlighted as he delivered the anthemic opening to “Big Cheese.” Guitarist Jack O’Shea gave a small taste of what guitar wizardry was to come with the track’s screaming mid-song solo. And lead singer Anthony Raneri got the crowd singing along to the baroque stylings of the opening vocal section in the next track, “The Walking Wounded.” Even better? I Am the Avalanche lead singer Vinnie Caruana burst onto the stage to lend a vocal assist. 

Slowing It Down

Towards the middle of the main set, Bayside slowed things down. On “It Don’t Exist,” Raneri emerged with an acoustic guitar, with O’Shea and bassist Nick Ghanbarian providing backing harmonies. The following tracks “Landing Feet First” and “Megan” allowed Raneri’s vocals to shine, before the band cranked the energy back up with “Duality.” 

Guitar Heroics

Throughout the set, the interplay between O’Shea and Raneri’s guitar work stood out. O’Shea thrilled with brief but potent solos on tracks like the recent release “How to Ruin Everything (Patience)” and “The Wrong Way.” And together, they helped control the pace of the set, from the wickedly sinister, slow-burning riffs on “Strangest Faces” to the chugging, speedy riffs on “Masterpiece.” But it was the main set closer “Montauk” that showed their rapport best with their dueling riffs. 

Career-Spanning Encore

After “Montauk,” the band briefly departed the stage and returned for their encore, wrapping up their set with tracks ranging from their 2005 self-titled all the way to their recent singles. They opened with a huge singalong to the acoustic cut “Don’t Call Me Peanut.” The band was greeted by a sea of illuminated cell phone lights waving gently, as the audience eagerly took over for entire verses at a time. Bayside then changed gears with the recent cut “Go to Hell,” led by another round of pummeling riffs. They closed out the night with the thrashing “Devotion and Desire,” with the fans belting out the words and O’Shea unleashing one last screaming solo as waves of crowd surfers flew toward the stage. Based on the crowd’s reaction, Raneri’s words in the encore certainly rang true: “We’ve been a band for 23 years, and we played some songs that are 19 years old, some are a month and a half old. … The greatest gift you could give to a band is to still give a shit about their new music.”

Bayside Setlist Saint Andrew's Hall, Detroit, MI, USA 2023, Just Like Home 2023 Tour

 

 

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