Take Action Tour 2011 feat Bayside and Silverstein – REVIEW

The Take Action tour 2011 came rocking its way to The Metro in Chicago. This tour featured Bayside, Silverstein, Polar Bear Club, The Swellers, and Texas in July. You can check out our review after the break.

Walking up to the famous Metro Chicago venue in Wrigleyville, the Take Action Tour already had an exciting vibe to it with the large “Sold Out” signs on all the doors. With a range of musical styles that one would see on Warped Tour, I got excited to see how the blend would play out. From the Co-Headliners Bayside and Silverstein to the opener Texas In July and other supporting acts Polar Bear Club and The Swellers, there was a nice variety of fans that seemed to mix well together. With the whole Metro staff doing what they do best, the show got off to a heavy start, stirring the crowd.

Texas In July, a band touring to support their 2011 release “One Reality,” kicked the show off with heavy guitars, fast intricate drums, and in-your-face growling vocals. Performing their hits “Hook Line and Sinner” and “Reflections” showed off their skills of moving heavy rhythms, fast riffs and perfectly placed arpeggios, which really got the crowd moving early in the night. I instantly got the impression they had influences such as August Burns Red and more recent Devil Wears Prada.

After a quick set change, The Swellers took the stage. The American Pop Punk style group, with four releases under their belt and appearances on a leg of the Vans Warped Tour, took control, demanding attention from the packed house. Playing a few fan favorites such as “Fire Away” and “Sleeper” off their “Ups and Downsizing” 2009 release really showed that this supporting act has a solid following in Chicago, since many fans were singing along in the crowd. Promoting their upcoming album, due June 2011, they got the crowd moving with their single “The Best I Ever Had.” The Swellers prove that the love of music first heard from bands like Allister and The Atari’s is not going anywhere, any time soon.

Polar Bear Club got the fan’s hands in the air and the pit moving with their post-hardcore punk bass lines, stop and go palm-muting guitar rhythms, and rough scratchy vocals. The dedicated crowd was right there with the band shouting and chanting back. Closing their set with “Living Saints,” the band left a big impression on me and left the house satisfied with their performance. Clearly excited to be on the Take Action Tour to promote their upcoming album “Clash Battle Guilt Pride” tentatively due in August 2011, Polar Bear Club is bringing down the house one city at a time, gaining fans nationwide.

One of the veterans on the tour, Silverstein, celebrating 11 years as a band, took the well-known Metro stage with intimidating confidence. Knowing the unyielding, yet ever growing post-hardcore (some may say “Scream-O”) fan base was waiting all night to hear old favorites like “Smashed Into Pieces,” and “Smile In Your Sleep,” they performed a well put together, nearly hour set. Many songs off their new album “Rescue,” released in April 2011, were known crowd wide and impressed the first timers to Silverstein. The song “The Artist” was a crowd pleaser with the familiar sounds of previous songs, catchy guitar riffs, driving punk drums, and hooking vocals. Everything from break downs to lead singer, Shane Told, playing a song on acoustic guitar, the crowd took that last filling bite with the fan wide favorite “My Heart Bleeds No More” and really brought the whole night together, tying together the previous bands sounds into one.

Seeing Bayside plenty of times before, and knowing that all members consider Chicago a second home, I hoped they would put on a show like it was for their best friends back home in Queens. With a more heavy punk-rock sound, comparable to Alkaline Trio and Taking Back Sunday, they were well liked by new and old fans. Just like the night at the Metro when they filmed a music video for their single off “Killing Time,” their 2011 release, “Sick Sick Sick” the very devoted Bayside fans went crazy and sang alongside the band. “Blame It On Bad Luck,” from their “Bayside” (2005) album, and “Masterpiece,” from their “Sirens and Condolences” (2004) album, were two well known favorites at this show and I’m sure gained the band new fans from the younger crowd. Bayside closed out the night for Take Action Tour and had the people definitely talking as they left Metro in to the rainy streets of Chicago.

Texas In July, The Swellers, Polar Bear Club, Silverstein, and Bayside are five bands I highly recommend to anyone looking for new music from bands that have been around and know what they are doing. From driving metal to the moving bass lines of American Punk rock, Take Action Tour is surely taking America by storm and gearing everyone up for new albums to become favorites this 2011 summer.

Information about the review…
Tour: Take Action Tour 2011 feat Bayside and Silverstein
Bands: Bayside, Silverstein, Polar Bear Club, The Swellers and Texas In July
Date: May 22, 2011
Venue: The Metro in Chicago, IL