Images: Mayday Parade, Man Overboard, Cartel, Stages and Stereos November 16, 2013 at Hard Rock Live

As I approached the Hard Rock Live for The Glamour Kills Tour, I was surprised by the line out the door. I knew this show would be one to remember, but I didn’t realize that so many others felt the way I did. The majority of those in attendance were much younger than I expected, but I did notice a few old faces scattered around the crowd, possibly there for the same reason that I was: to see some of my personal favorite bands from a few years ago all wrapped into one show.

The sizeable early bird crowd danced and sang along to Florida’s great Stages & Stereos, and I took special notice of guitarist Alex Reed who was also a member of a band I loved during high school (Go Radio.) Their set was far too short and I would have loved to hear more.

Next up was Cartel, which was the veteran band on the tour, having started back in 2003. This was my first time seeing them, and it was great to see the crowd of mixed ages enjoying the set just as much as I was. The excitement was not only in the atmosphere but clearly visible through the crowd surfing, along with the mass finger pointing, especially to “Burn This City” off of their ’05 album Chroma.

This was my first time seeing Man Overboard outside of Warped Tour, and I wasn’t sure what to expect, especially after seeing how pumped everyone was for Cartel. But “Where I Left You” set a tone with the crowd instantly as a huge group rushed to scream every line right back at Nik Bruzzese and Zac Eisenstein. The fans were treated to a nice long set list which included “Atlas” and crowd favorite, “Montrose,” but unfortunately, the sound was pretty terrible during their set and the band didn’t seem anywhere near as excited to be there as the crowd was.

The stage was engulfed in what I’d describe as a tasteful amount of smoke as Mayday Parade emerged. They started off strong with the piano and slowly grew until the diverse crowd (filled with anyone from very young girls to kids with Blink-182 tattoos,) went wild to the point that the floorboards trembled. Mayday Parade consistently goes the extra step and makes sure to interact and connect with the fans, and I noticed frontman Derek Sanders make one particular girl’s night by grabbing her hand. I was excited to hear the first song they wrote as a band eight years ago titled “Three Cheers For Five Years,” as well as “Miserable At Best,” and some of the new stuff I’ve slept on, which I soon realized was a mistake. This band is consistently great live, and I can’t wait to see them the next time they come around.

-Hunter Wallace | https://www.flickr.com/photos/hunter_wallace/