On March 11, 2023, crowds filled The Halo Bar in St. Louis, MO as early as 5 PM CT for the highly anticipated Story of the Year album release show. With fans aged anywhere from as young as 12 to as old as 50 years old with many parents greeting old friends as their children made new ones.
Even when The Halo Bar reached max capacity at 6 PM CT it didn’t feel crowded, and there was never a wait at the bar. The doors to the Pageant opened promptly at 7 PM and, without a stampede, everyone calmly navigated through general admission.
Fight Back Mountain
At approximately 8 PM, local favorites Fight Back Mountain took the stage. I have one word when it comes to their set: incredible.
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
A little before 9 PM, The chords for “Damned Regret” burst through the air and the crowd erupted. This was my second time seeing Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and I am constantly inspired by the bright beams of light that flow through lead vocalist Ronnie Winter and the rest of the crew.
They are gracious and soft-spoken, but when duty calls, they know how to command the audience with soaring vocals, gritty guitars, and the heart-pounding beats we’ve all become accustomed to hearing RJA deliver over the last couple of decades.
RJA navigated through crowd favorites smoothly and even surprised us with a cover of blink-182’s “All the Small Things”.
With two songs left Ronnie quietly strummed the chords to “Guardian Angel” while thanking the members of the armed forces and expressing gratitude for the opportunity and making mention of how much the headliners of the night Story of the Year meant to him.
This led to RJA closing out their set with their iconic anthem “Face Down” leaving the people in attendance wanting more.
Story of the Year
At 11 PM, the stage was reset, lights began to flicker and shoes began to scuffle back and forth. It was clear a storm, in the form of one highly anticipated album release show, was rolling in. The curtains quickly opened with an electric energy-filled “Tear Me to Pieces” performance.
The show was perfect. The set list was powerful. “The Antidote” had to be my favorite performance of the night.
I have seen so many Story of the Year shows; beginning at warped tour all the way through the COVID live streams. And believe me when I tell you: This is the hardest-working version of Story of the Year that I have ever seen.
During the touring cycle for Page Avenue, Story of the Year is on record stating they were focused on showmanship first and studio quality and accuracy second. This performance was the polar opposite. It was a brilliant balance between high energy and album-worthy accuracy. Backing tracks accompanied almost every song; however, I think it’s important to note that they do not lean on these tracks as a crutch; instead, they only enhance the overall live concert performance experience for the fans. And THIS was by far one of the best live performances I’ve ever experienced from this band.
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