It’s 2004, a time when we burned CDs, had Myspace profiles, Purevolume, and had to find a ride to the local VFW hall. Bayside had just released Sirens & Condolences, and in our adolescence there wasn’t much to worry about beyond heartbreak, friendships, and what the next show was. Life felt heavy then, but looking back, my worries were simple.
Fast forward twenty-one years, they revisited that era head-on, celebrating 25 years by diving deep into their first four records: Sirens & Condolences, Self-Titled, The Walking Wounded, and Shudder. For fans like myself who grew up with those albums, the night felt like both a reunion and a reminder of just how much those songs still mean to myself and everyone there.
The Sleeping came along to open up on the last leg of the tour.. which was such perfect choice to keep up in the peak 2000’s post-hardcore energy. Playing deep cuts, and also fan favorites like “Don’t Hold Back” and “King of Hearts” had the crowd moving early. For myself and many others, it somehow felt like a reunion within a reunion — as they were were staples of the mid-2000s Long Island/NYC hardcore scene that Bayside also came up alongside.
Bayside’s set opened up with the classic “Montauk”, pulling us all back to where it began.. back to 2005-ish nights at now-legendary venues like Maxwell’s in Hoboken, NJ (R.I.P.) or Crocodile Rock in Allentown, PA (also R.I.P.). Hearing these first three albums live again in 2025 truly felt like unlocking a time capsule that was never really locked in the first place.
Of course other classics like “Masterpiece” and “Devotion and Desire” had the crowd singing back at volume that nearly drowned out the actual band’s vocals. Deeper cuts like “They Looked Like Strong Hands” and “Carry On” gave the night even more sense of nostalgia.. reminding us that Bayside has always been more than just an influential band that we grew up with, but still a part of who we are now.
If you’ve been to The Stone Pony, you know the intimacy and history that this venue carries. The distance between bands and audience is basically non-existent, and becomes a room full of friends who had grown up with these songs, living them again together. Every show at The Pony is underscored by decades of legends who’ve played the same stage.. and Bayside has definitely contributed to that legacy and history.
Twenty-five years later, it’s like we forgot all of the years that have passed since the basement and VFW shows. We may have grown up, grown some back pain, but we haven’t grown out of our roots. Cheers to 25 years and many more to come!
Check out more photos and galleries from night one of 25 Years of Bayside: The Errors Tour on Instagram!