On February 25, 2023, I had the incredible experience of attending the BRING ME THE HORIZON, A DAY TO REMEMBER, POORSTACY, and STATIC DRESS tour in Hamburg. About four months ago, driven by my admiration for the 2000s sound and culture, I impulsively bought a budget-friendly seated ticket for the concert at Hamburg Barclays Arena. I had almost forgotten about the ticket until I saw some BMTH posts on Instagram last week, which reminded me. I quickly booked my train tickets and embarked on a solo weekend trip to Hamburg. Despite the -2°C temperature, snow, and storm, I had a smooth journey to the city. On the day of the concert, I saw crowds heading to the event on every train and metro. Everyone was excited, from the young to the old. When I arrived at the venue, I was amazed by the size of the arena.

Unfortunately, I missed STATIC DRESS as they started their set at the same time the doors opened. Just as I stepped into the seating area, POORSTACY took the stage. For those who aren’t familiar, POORSTACY is a 23-year-old artist blending emo rap, alternative rock, and punk rock. He has collaborations with notable figures like Oli Sykes from BMTH and Travis Barker from BLINK-182. However, his performance didn’t quite hit the mark for me and seemingly for others as well. The vocals were almost inaudible, drowned out by effects, making the live performance less impactful.

After an hour that felt somewhat ambiguous, the stage was taken over by A DAY TO REMEMBER, the 2000s post-hardcore/pop punk legends from Florida. The moment they started with the iconic “Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da, da-da, da-da! Da-da, da-da! Let’s go!” and launched into “All I Want,” the energy in the 16,000-seat arena was electric. Hearing everyone scream “All I want is a place to call my own” gave me chills. Despite releasing their latest album, “You’re Welcome,” last year, they mainly played hits from their popular 2009 album “Homesick” and 2010’s “What Separates Me from You.” The crowd’s energy dipped during their newer pop-oriented songs, but they regained momentum with distortion-heavy pop-punk tracks. The hour-long set was followed by a quick stage change.

In about half an hour, the stage was ready. The lights dimmed, and a cartoonish character appeared on screen, scanning the crowd for mosh pits and giving updates throughout the show. As the scan ended and no significant mosh pit was found, BRING ME THE HORIZON took their places on stage, kicking off with “Can You Feel My Heart.” The confetti burst at the start made for an incredible visual spectacle. Seeing Oli Sykes’ vocal evolution over the years and hearing this song live in 2023 was a huge moment for me. The energy doubled with “Happy Song” from “That’s the Spirit,” “Teardrops” from “POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR,” and “MANTRA” from “amo.” Oli was a whirlwind of energy on stage, running and jumping, while Lee and Matt gave an impressive performance.

As the show continued with “Parasite Eve” and “sTraNgeRs,” the excitement peaked with “Shadow Moses.” Seeing the crowd scream “THIS IS SEMPITERNAL!” was both nostalgic and heartwarming. Looking around, I realized many 2000s emos had grown up, bringing their kids to the concert. The band members, too, live lives far removed from their lyrical themes, with many now settled with families. The crowd was a mix of adults balancing work and life, reflecting the maturity that comes with age. While I missed the raw, wild energy of the early 2000s, it was touching to see how the fanbase had evolved.

During “Kingslayer,” the energy was unmatched, especially during the BABYMETAL vocal parts. The set slowed down emotionally with “DiE4u” and the acoustic “Follow You,” where Oli left the stage to interact personally with fans, even donning heart-shaped glasses gifted by one of them.

The encore began with “Obey,” followed by the fan-favorite “Sleepwalking.” Instead of ending with a song from “Sempiternal,” the band closed with “Throne,” igniting one last mosh pit. Oli declared it the best show of the tour just before their final performance in Hamburg, despite the concert being in Germany, the crowd’s engagement in non-native language songs was impressive. After encouraging everyone to head home safely, the concert concluded.

Writing this 12 hours later, I’m still buzzing from the experience. My only regret was the absence of Lorna Shore from the tour, replaced by POORSTACY.

Author: Pelin