By Story of the Year rocked the House of Blues in Anaheim on Nov. 7, headlining the Taste the Poison Tour.
Doors opened for the show at 6:30 p.m. and the first band, Monty Are I, a rock group from Providence, R. I., took the stage a little before 7:30 p.m. The band incorporated many instruments that are not considered the norm at a rock show. Members of the band played the keyboard, trombone and trumpet while setting the energetic ambiance of the venue for the rest of the show.
The next band to perform was the Arizona-based Greeley Estates. Known for wanting to connect with its fans on a personal level, the band interacted with the audience between songs, and at the end of the set, the crowd’s energy level was climbing even higher. By this time, the venue was crowded and people were anxiously awaiting the performances of the next two bands.
The last opening act was the Florida-based band Anberlin that began its performance around 9 p.m. The band played songs off the debut album, “Blueprints for the Black Market” and sophomore album, “Never Take Friendship Personal.”
Anberlin had a large fan base at the concert. Many people in the crowd were singing along to its songs and seemed as excited to see the band perform as the headlining band. The group played a dynamic 45-minute set and got everyone in the audience energized, whether they knew the music or not.
Finally, Story of the Year took the stage a little after 10 p.m. The St. Louis-bred five-some kicked off the set with the song “In the Shadows” from the Maverick debut album, “Page Avenue.” The high energy level, onstage back flips and across-the-stage-tossing of the guitars got every person in the venue pumped up.
The band interacted with the audience during the entire set. Lead singer Dan Marsala talked to the crowd between songs. Bass player Adam Russell told the audience a story about why he had a bump on his head and Ryan Phillips on the guitar kept throwing things at the audience and joking with the crowd.
Story of the Year played an invigorating set that was a mix of songs from the first album and the sophomore CD, “In the Wake of Determination.” Every single person in the house was rocking and singing along as Story of the Year played its most popular hits, “Anthem of Our Dying Day” and “Until the Day I Die,” both songs from “Page Avenue.” Newer songs such as “Take Me Back,” “Our Time is Now,” “Meathead” and “Taste the Poison,” all tracks from the second album, also received positive reactions from the crowd.
The rock band had the perfect ending to its performance. As the crowd screamed for an encore, Story of the Year came out and played one last song – a cover of Metallica’s infamous “Enter Sandman”- satisfying every true rock fan in the house.
The Taste of Poison tour left the crowd exhilarated and thrilled from the enormous amount of energy that every band that took the stage exuded, especially the headliners.
