2013 Summer Sickness Tour: Authority Zero / Ballyhoo! @ Gramercy Theatre, NYC

Live Reviews | Jun 29th, 2013

Summer Sickness tour 2013 @ Gramercy Theatre, NYC (45)

Date: June 27th 2013
Opening Bands:Step Inside, Versus The World

Summer is finally here and what better way to celebrate then see two bands that have a Summery feel to their music: Authority Zero and Ballyhoo! The Summer Sickness tour hit NYC on June 23rd to a crowded Gramercy Theatre.

Step Inside from Brooklyn opened up the show and while they weren’t bad, I just wanted to catch the other bands on the bill. I really dislike shows with more than 2 or 3 bands in the lineup. I get why it’s done like supporting local acts and bringing in other fans to support that band but for weekday shows its a bit too much. Based on my point of view, it didn’t seem like the crowd was that into them either.

Versus The World were up next and put on a great set. I reviewed one of their albums and dug it but I honestly don’t remember it too much. I know it sounded decent but just never returned to it. Their live show was really, really good though! Full of energy, especially frontman Donald Spence. I have no clue what songs were played though but definitely will be circling back around to check out their music again.

The two bands I wanted to see were up next. Authority Zero played next and played around an hour I believe. I’ve seen AZ a few times now and each time they just do an outstanding job! Jason is the only remaining original member but the new guys certainly hold their own. Their set was filled with mostly older songs sprinkled with a few new ones in there. The band kept teasing the crowd that they just wanted to hear older songs. I was looking forward to hearing “Big Bad World” and “Get It Right” but I believe they didn’t play those.

They played songs like “Revolution,” “Sirens,” “A Passage of Time,” “Taking on the World,” and “Over Seasons.” A few new ones were played (or I believe, I could be wrong as always) like “No Other Place,” “Lift One Up,” “For The Kids,” and “Struggle.” I was screaming “Whhooooaaaa” during “Lift On Up” when I was in the photo pit. Every time I see Authority Zero, I wish I lived in Arizona to see them more often. But then I think of 120 degree weather and think, “ah maybe not.”

I never saw Ballyhoo! before since I just got into their music this year. I just never listened to their music before for whatever reason. I’m hooked now though! Their newest album Pineapple Grenade has been on constant rotation for the last 2 months for me (perks of getting advance music to review). That album has finally been released this week, after some issues with iTunes. I was hoping to hear a lot of music from the new album they certainly delivered. They obviously played a lot from their earlier albums as well.

They started things off with “Last Night,” “Battle Cry,” “Run” and “Walk Away” earlier on. Since I never saw the band live before it was nice to hear songs like “Walk Away” and “Last Night.” Since listening to the new songs, “Lost at Sea” has become a favorite of mine and that was played later on. Other songs that I remembered that they played included “Marijuana Laws,” “Paper Dolls,” “She Wants To Destroy Me,” “Sandcastles” and then ended the night with “Outta My Mind.”

Things were running late for me so I sadly missed the encore, but I really wanted to stick around but the fact that I was at a show 3 nights in a row for me meant I was extremely tired. So tired in fact, that I didn’t realize there were two skunks on the sidewalk by some trash, walking home in the rain. Thankfully I saw them last minute (about a foot away) and crossed the street. Phhh, close call!

But anyway, it was a fun show with some good bands! Definitely check out the tour if you still can.

All the photos from the show will be on SkaPunkPhotos.com but here’s just a quick sample of the evening:

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