Review and photos: Luke Petty

The excitement in the air was electric as Story of the Year fans packed the streets outside The Tivoli, the line is something else, stretching down the road from the venue doors, the sight has grabbed the attention of Ekka attendees passing through with amazement. VIPs may have already had a taste of the magic to come with a meet and greet and soundcheck performance, but for the rest of us, the night was still wide open. Still oh so innocent, we sit here intently waiting to see what was in store.

The night kicked off with a bang thanks to Aussie legends, Behind Crimson Eyes. I’ve been a fan since I was young, so seeing them live again felt like a full-circle moment. It was bittersweet though, as they announced a farewell tour early next year due to retirement.

Still, they absolutely killed it. Mixing old favorites like The Art of War and Revenge I – of the Cradle with their new song Dead Drop Dead was genius. The whole crowd was going wild, no matter how old they were. It’s a real shame we won’t be seeing much more of Behind Crimson Eyes. They are a true talent of a band and will be missed.

Senses Fail, straight out of New Jersey, were up next. They kicked things off with the famous Kill Bill whistling tune and came flourishing out with Tie Her Down from their 2004 album, which they were playing in full to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

The whole place was packed, and the band was on fire. Singer James (Buddy) Nielsen even shared some funny stories and described how he felt Aussie as he hears the show Bluey enough at home now, he is a father of two. Before screaming BLUEY to the whole crowd who then cheered and were all for it. Buddy’s stage presence was damn infectious.

His dance moves along with microphone twirling were a joy to watch. Pumping out hits Slow Dance and Choke on This it was their finale that had the crowd really going. After finishing off their set with Martini Kiss they busted into a medley of hits including Chop Suey by System of a Down, Down with the sickness by Disturbed and Break Stuff by Limp Bizkit. The crowd ate up every second of it.

As the lights dimmed we were all in anticipation that the boys from St Louis would come bursting out on stage but all of a sudden, an intro played with a sample of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Building up the anticipation and the moment Story of the Year hit the stage, the place exploded. I’d been a fan for ages, so this was a huge deal for me.

These guys were my first big band I had ever shot as a concert photographer and Page Avenue will always hold a special place in my heart. They played a killer set celebrating their debut album, mixing up the tracklist to keep us on our toes.

Opening with And the Hero Will Drown and following it up with Dive Right In was pure gold. They even threw in some newer stuff like War that got the crowd absolutely wild. Telling great stories and throwing in some banter towards the boys from Senses Fail, the comedic value of Story of the Year is always great. We Don’t Care Anymore blew the roof off and the fans were loving it. Screaming so loudly along to every lyric. Dan Marsala, the singer, was a riot. Closing out with new song Tear Me to Pieces and Until the Day I Die.

It was such a special night to be a part of. Celebrating a truly inspirational album that really put Story of the Year on the map. Hopefully they keep pumping out the tunes and we continue to see them grace Australian shores more in the future.