Story of the Year along with Silverstein brought their Camp Screamo tour through Charlotte last week, the second stop after kicking things off in Asbury Park. As co-headlining bands the two switched off their set times each night of the tour, on Tuesday at the Fillmore Charlotte, Story of the Year closed out the night with a set that featured both old classics and newer songs. The band’s latest album, A.R.S.O.N, came out in February of this year but this wasn’t just a tour in support of their latest music. The band of course played several classics from the early 2000s, as well as some from later albums, overall, the setlist had the right mix of a little bit of everything. 

Story of the Year, like so many of their contemporaries, clearly still hold a special place in the hearts of so-called Elder Emos, those mid-30 former angsty-teenagers who now hold down 9 to 5 jobs, so when the band opened the show with “And the Hero will Drown” off the band’s 2003 hit album Page Avenue, the entire crowd went nuts.  

The older I get the more impressed I am with bands like Story of the Year, who continue to bring the high-energy they did 20+ years ago to the stage, night after night. The whole band was running the stage, up and down the ramps, swapping spots with each other, and fully animated the entire set. It wasn’t the kind of energy you expect from guys who’ve been doing this for two decades, but there it was. Not only was it a fun show to watch, but it was impressive how good the band really sounded. That is no surprise because unlike other bands who still tour but had their heyday back in the early-aughts, Story of the Year’s lineup has stayed largely unchanged over their career so these guys have had plenty of time to get things just right.  

The crowd matched the energy with crowd surfers going over the barricade, mosh pits opening up during the heavier cuts, and a room full of people who clearly grew up on this stuff and still knew every word. The Camp Scremo tour is just getting started and there are plenty of stops left on it so there are several more chances to get in some nostalgia — or for those who aren’t familiar with the band — find some new music and perhaps a new favorite band. 

I’m Music Magazine was at the show and got a chance to experience it all from the photo pit, you can check out the full photo gallery from Story of the Year below.  Full setlist follows our photo gallery.

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