The news was telling everyone to stay indoors. With an air temperature of -21 and a windchill exceeding -50 (no, I’m not kidding) it probably would have been smart to stay indoors but there was a show in town and I never miss a show. In actuality, had it been any other show I probably would have just stayed in but Bayside was in town last night and they were playing an acoustic show. I didn’t care how cold it got, I was not missing that show. I left the warmth of my apartment only to find out that my car wouldn’t start– yeah, this cold is no joke. Have no fear, God made Uber and Lyft for a reason and after no time I arrived at The Turf Club and was greeted by the warmth of one of my home away from homes.
Kicking the night off was the beautiful and captivating Kayleigh Goldsworthy. Full disclosure, I was far too excited to see Bayside and honestly was ready to write off the opener but as soon as Kayleigh opened her mouth I was captivated. Her sweet voice came through the speakers and wrapped around the nearly sold out crowd like the warm hug we needed after bracing the elements. When addressing the crowd you could feel the amount of appreciation she had for every single person in The Turf Club. She talked about how it’s always a choice to leave your house and go out to a show but to do it in this weather– damn, we were all troopers.
Her bright yellow outfit seemed to sparkle in the spotlight. She explained that she wears bright colored clothing to try and cancel out the sadness in her music but, if you ask me, there is no sadness in her songs, just passion and a heart on her sleeve type of mentality. Having never heard of her before and never heard her songs prior to last night, each one hit me right where it counted. Her voice was heard as loud and clear as her messages were and I was eating up every single song. As her set ended, she explained that her music is not typically just her and a guitar and she brought up Chris on drums and Nick on bass from Bayside for her final song. Although the addition of the bass and drums definitely gave her music a new sense of energy, it was amazing to me that she is not typically alone on the stage. Her set was just so perfect and so full of life. I could have stood there all night listening to her tell her stories and had no complaints.
Following Kayleigh’s set was what I had been waiting for. My top bands seem to be always changing but there are five constants in that list including Bayside. This band has been there for me when I had nothing else and has helped me through the darkest times in my life. I’ve seen them a couple dozen times now and never get bored with their show. Last night was the first time I had seen them play a full band acoustic set and I had my tissues ready. Their music already strikes a chord with me every time I hear but I just new that hearing it in it’s rawest form would have an intense effect on me and I wasn’t disappointed.
The band wasted no time and instantly kicked into a nearly twenty song set that, like Kayleigh’s, I never wanted to end. From the first note of Moceanu, to the last word of Landing Feet First, I was completely lost in a world where the air didn’t hurt my face and where feels were worn on your sleeve instead of bottled up. The entire audience seemed to share my feelings and, although an subdued acoustic version of the band was on stage, the audience was still screaming along to every word as if it was a fully electric show. I loved the fact that, although an acoustic tour, all members of the band were present and playing including the addition of Kayleigh on the piano and violin and an auxiliary percussion played (I’m so sorry to him but I didn’t catch his name).
The banter between songs was absolutely perfect. It wasn’t too much, wasn’t too little and was the perfect amount of awkward. From guitarist Jack O’Shea’s awkward story about meeting John Rzeznik to the creation of a “weather jar” where whoever brings up the weather has to put $20 in the jar, it was truly perfect. I don’t know why I was so surprised. This band has always been great about adding just enough personality to their shows to make them feel real while still keeping this distance as to not make you forget just how important they are to your life and the lives of everyone else that their music has touched.
I could go on and on about how this show made me feel and all of the times that my eyes swelled up with tears but that would mean nothing to you. Unless you’ve had the chance to see a band that has literally saved your life more times than you can count play their songs in an acoustic setting with all of the words laid out there on the table, nothing that I can say will give you the feeling I had last night. I’ll honestly just sound like a little baby that couldn’t keep it together and kept on having to reach for tissues but that’s exactly what I was.
My friends and family think I’m crazy for going out in the cold last night and honestly, I can’t fight them on that. That being said, I wouldn’t have missed last night for everything. Sometimes a show can mean everything to you and last night was that show.
Both Kayleigh and Bayside thanked the crowd multiple times for braving the elements to come out but in reality, we should be thanking them. Thank you Kayleigh, Bayside, and all of the staff at The Turf Club for not letting the crappy weather cancel the show. Seriously.
