By Nestor Salgado
A Day to Remember headlined The Moda Center in Portland, OR, on 7/14/24 during “The Least Anticipated Album” Tour. The opening acts included prominent bands The Story So Far, Four Year Strong, and Scowl.
The opening bands were a great start to a memorable evening. I was extremely impressed with The Story So Far and their overall performance. Their music contained a lot of emotional teenage angst, which I could feel in my soul. I look forward to seeing them again, as they are now on my radar. Now, onto the headliner.
As the lights came up and A Day to Remember took the stage, the crowd went nuts as the confetti cannons went off during the first song. At that moment, everyone knew it would be a great show. What impressed me the most was how ADTR blends the classic fan favourites with the newer material to create one cohesive setlist. The song “Miricle” which was released in 2022 is a perfect example because in many cases, fans aren’t always hip to the latest releases. Not in this case. Although “Miracle” was one of the first songs of the set, the performance of it felt like the grand finale. Most songs did. Maybe it has much to do with the pyrotechnics, the lighting design, or the energy frontman Jeremy McKinnon radiated towards his adoring fans. Every song gave off an allure of theatre.
Towards the tail end of the set, I knew things were about to go ape shit. Sure enough, when the fans heard the chorus line, “I hate this town, It’s so washed up”, the stadium felt like it erupted. The song “All Signs Point To Lauderdale” is a classic among pop-punk fans and still one of the most well-known records from ADTR since its inception in 2010 on their fourth studio album. You can bet that older and newer fans were losing their minds while yelling the lyrics.
Overall, ADTR are fantastic performers with varying sounds. They go from loud and heavy to smooth and slow, but the best part is the fan base that they’ve created. I can’t wait for the next time they’re in the Pacific Northwest.
