In many ways, Modern Baseball and Joyce Manor serve as two birds of a feather, both in musical creed and with a revived wave of emo-tinged punk rock ballads. Likewise, it only seems fitting that the bands hit the road together for a U.S. tour across multiple cities, both big and small. Along with Thin Lips, the trio set out on the road in support of Holy Ghost, Modern Baseball’s latest effort out on veteran punk/alternative label Run For Cover Records.
As with any peas and carrots allusion, where Modern Baseball graced a sold out show on the second of two nights with Holy Ghost’s anthemic self-titled intro into “Wedding Singer,” Joyce Manor prefaced an incredible outing with a crowd favorite in “Beach Community.”
After all, it’s always nice to throw out an oldie for the “real fans”. As it went, the anticipation left a bold imprint on the antsy crowd, with the members of Modern Baseball’s feet visibly showing underneath a curtain. From the very first strum of Brendan Lukens’ guitar, a warm and inviting “Hi” set the audience into joyous pandemonium.
Watching from a myriad of locations around New York’s renowned Irving Plaza in lower-Manhattan, the atmosphere nurtured by eager fans young and old clearly evoked a sense of community, and the scale and stakes of being in a historical venue packed with people made for a beautiful picture of a scene long from dead, just a night before the headliner’s homecoming in Philadelphia. Take that as a metaphor for the band’s incredible rise and new found popularity; you play possibly the biggest two nights of your life, both sellout crowds and numerous press members abound, to then take it all back to your roots back to Philly in the span of 24 hours.
As the show came to a close, Modern Baseball took the time to thank Joyce Manor for being an older and influential band.
Who consequently paved a road for the padawan to take the reigns as the main attraction, and a leader in the emo-revival movement. Still, they each bring their own style, Joyce Manor more raw and abrasive, but both truly reflect on the little joys in life, and bringing like-minded people together. There is great freedom in that, and a fresh spirit of camaraderie was present at Irving Plaza on this particular night. Heck, with Other Music half a mile down the street having just closed, its shared history in the district marks a bitter end to a staple of the musical culture, yet bands reviving the scene of punk rock in a sense breeds new beginnings.
Thank you to Thin Lips, Joyce Manor, and Modern Baseball for a wonderful concert!
Concert Playlist Below:
More pics from the Modern Baseball / Joyce Manor show below:
