Images: Bayside, The Menzingers, Sorority Noise September 9, 2016 at the Brooklyn Bowl

Partway through Bayside’s headlining show at Brooklyn Bowl, frontman Anthony Raneri stopped to tell the enthusiastic audience that bassist Nick Ghanbarian doesn’t just like Las Vegas – he loves it.

It shows. And not just of Nick, but of the whole Long Island punk band. Bayside is one of the very few bands who have always made Vegas a frequent tour stop, dating back over ten years to a show at The Alley with Punchline. Many bands get discouraged by early Vegas visits, but Bayside’s persistence has earned them a loyal following here. And that following was front and center to sing along to “Blame It On Bad Luck,” “Pigsty,” “Sick, Sick, Sick,” “Just Enough to Love You,” and a well-timed cover of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” (they really do love Vegas!).

Bayside is known for consistency in their performances, but sounded especially on point this time around, with Jack O’Shea and his ripping guitar solos ringing out over the Brooklyn Bowl’s fantastic soundsystem. Playing in front of the cover of their new album Vacancy (which highly resembles the front of our own world famous Blue Angel Motel), the band worked in many new songs to a receptive crowd, though of course the biggest reactions went to songs from the now 11-year-old self-titled record, especially set-ender “Devotion and Desire.”

When it comes to openers, Bayside proclaimed that they like to choose bands that they want to see play over and over again each night of tour. Well, apparently the band and I share very similar tastes. In direct support was Philadelphia punk rock quartet The Menzingers, who I realized I still consider one of my three favorite “newer bands,” despite the fact that the banner displayed behind them acted as a constant reminder that they’ve been together for a decade. Maybe it’s because, outside of an ill-fated East Side Joe’s show close to a decade ago, the band hasn’t headlined in Vegas, leaving fans only to enjoy all-too-short opening spots on other bands’ tours.

Despite this lack of presence, the band has still slowly amassed a Vegas following, which, while not as big as Bayside’s, made their voices heard by screaming the words to “The Obituaries,” “I Was Born” “I Don’t Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore” and new song “Lookers.” Co-frontman Tom May certainly seemed to take notice, inching precariously close to the stage’s edge to sing the words back to the fans. These fans also started a pit, the first of the night, which erupted during “Nice Things” and earned a humble grin from co-frontman Greg Barnett. While the bulk of the Bayside crowd seemed unaware of the band, their tight performance definitely won them some new fans and hopefully a Vegas headliner is in our future.

Making their Vegas debut, Hartford, Connecticut’s Sorority Noise had the task of kicking off the night to a venue not yet full and to an audience largely unfamiliar with them. If that bothered them, they certainly didn’t show it. The band thrashed around on stage with the type of reckless abandon I associate more with vintage Replacements than I do emo revival, and it made their set all the more excellent.

I was happy to see that I wasn’t the only person singing along to their cathartic tunes, with songs like 2015 earworm “Using” and bouncy “Art School Wannabe” eliciting small but passionate sing alongs. Frontman Cameron Boucher took time to open up about his battles with depression, reminding the crowd that mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of. This important and sincere message obviously resonated, as applause and hollers of solidarity rung throughout the Brooklyn Bowl. Like The Menzingers, it would be great to see these guys come through an a headliner, so here’s hoping.

-Emily Matview

Photos by Anthony Constantine | https://www.facebook.com/anthonycphotography