I still remember the first time I saw Story of the Year live. The year was 2004, this journalist was a freshman in high school, George W. Bush was president, and a music festival in Atlanta, Music Midtown, was at its peak. I remember it was one of the shows on the lineup that I could not miss and my friend and I fought our way to the front of the crowd as best we could. It was a show I will never forget and now, 20 years later, I had the chance to revisit the album and see the band once again live at the Fillmore Underground in Charlotte, NC for a special sold-out show as the band preformed every song from their debut album Page Avenue, along with some newer music. 

Before we get to the concert itself, let’s go back to 2004. I was an angsty teen discovering music from what I call the golden-era of emo and post-hardcore. I knew Story of the Year thanks to a friend who burned me a copy of the album “Page Avenue” (sorry guys, I didn’t know any better and if it makes you feel better I killed several computers downloading music from Napster and the Limewire). Page Avenue was one of the albums that I would listen to on repeat along with Sing the Sorrow by AFI and a few months later, In Love and Death, by The Used. 

Music Midtown was my first real taste of a music festival and opened my eyes (and ears) to the wonderful world of live music. I will never forget the excitement and energy I felt seeing ‘real rock bands’ live and I say this in earnest, watching Story of the Year perform at Music Midtown set the stage for the passion for live music for decades to come. Memories are funny, I can’t remember the entire setlist from 2004 or the whole performance, but I do remember  the stolen roll of toilet paper in my backpack which I launched into the crowd as a streamer as the band took the stage. I also remember seeing my 15-year-old sister float by crowd surfing her way to the front of the stage as the show got underway. It was an experience that laid the foundation for my love of music and specifically seeing my favorite bands live. 

Now we can fast Forward 20 years to Friday night’s sold-out show. Although those of us sometimes called elder emos have some gray hairs, families, mortgages, and responsibilities that we didn’t have in 2004, the album and the band have stood the test of time. 

“Originally released in 2003, Page Avenue was one of the first of its kind to sell a million copies. Featuring iconic tracks like “Until The Day I Die,” “Anthem Of Our Dying Day,” “Sidewalks,” and more, the album peaked at number 1 and number 51 on the Billboard US Heatseekers Albums and Billboard 200 chart respectively.Page Avenue was certified Gold in April 2004 and then Platinum in March 2021, making it one of the first post-hardcore albums to reach either milestone. “Until The Day I Die” peaked at #12 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and #35 on the Active Rock chart, and “Anthem Of Our Dying Day” reached #10 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart,” according to the band’s publicist. 

The Show

I arrived at The Underground in Charlotte, North Carolina and immediately felt a wave of nostalgia seeing the name Story of the Year on the marquee outside. The show was SOLD-OUT and a line of fans waited in the 30-degree weather for a chance to get inside early and get a spot on the rail to watch the bands. Youth Fountain opened with an energetic start to the show followed by We the Kings who really set the crowd into a frenzy performing hits and new tracks of their own. After closing their set with “Check Yes Juliet,” fans were even more amped up for what was to come next. 

As the house lights went dark and Story of the Year took the crowd was at a fever pitch. It was the kind of show I was happy the barricade at the photo pit held up because the photographers would have surely been trampled. Not all music or musicians can stand the test of time and 20 years is a long time relatively speaking; but Story of the Year has. One of the things I love to see is that after two decades the band still features most of the original members performing and they’re still making music. Lead vocalist Dan Marsala’s voice sounds as good as it did all those years ago and the rest of the band was as tight as they were, which isn’t a surprise considering they’ve been playing the album for 20 years now. As I looked around the crowd I realized just how much this album meant to fans, who sang along word-for-word and never stopped rocking. The sold-out show and the raw energy of the fans, and the bands are evidence that like we told our parents way back in 2004 — “It’s not a phase.”

The setlist was everything a fan could have hoped for with the band playing 18 songs including Page Avenue in its entirety. Story of the Year’s tour, which started in October of 2023, is coming to an end but there are still chances to catch them as they head to Atlanta, Florida, Tennesse, Ohio and finally ending in Chicago on Jan. 26. 

While the tour is aptly named Page Avenue 20th Anniversary Tour the guys also played some of their new music from their latest album, Tear Me to Pieces. 

“Story Of The Year recently released their long-awaited sixth studio album Tear Me To Pieces, out now via SharpTone Records. Featuring eleven new tracks – including previous singles “Real Life,” “Tear Me To Pieces,” “Take The Ride,” “War,” and “2005” – the new album is distinctly, invitingly, loudly Story Of The Year. Heartache, desperation, motivation, toxic relationships, pain, loss, anger – all of the essential ingredients of the classic Story Of The Year sound propel Tear Me to Pieces in dazzling new ways,” the band’s publicist said, “Fans can stream Tear Me To Pieces now…”

The full setlist from setlist.fm, can be found below along with a photo gallery from Friday’s performance. 

Review and pix by I’m Music Magazine Photographer/Writer Michael Praats