Photos and Article by Lara Ziccardi
Bayside is a punk-rock band based out of Queens, NY. Known for their infectious riffs and their 2005 signature songs, “Devotion and Desire,” “Blame It On Bad Luck,” and more from their self-titled album and beyond.
The punk rock Queens icons are celebrating their 25 year band-iversary with a bang. They just recently wrapped The Errors Tour with opener, The Sleeping. On Wednesday, September 25th, Bayside took it to the shore to perform two nights at The Stone Pony. The first night consisted of playing their first four records: Sirens and Condolences (2004), Bayside (2005), The Walking Wounded (2007), and Shudder (2008). On night two, they finished playing off their discography with Killing Time (2011), Cult (2015), Vacancy (2016), Interrobang (2019), and their most recent album, There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive (2024).
Photographer and co-founder here at Punk Pulse Media, Lara Ziccardi, headed down the Parkway and into Asbury to catch Night 1 of The Errors Tour!
This show was originally supposed to take place outside on The Summer Stage but due to some rainy weather, the show was moved inside. Photographing at The Stone Pony inside is a little tricky but there’s something so charming about it where I always want to keep coming back for more.
Bayside kicked off their set with “Montauk,” “Alcohol and Alter Boys,” and “No One Understands.” The crowd is energetic and Bayside locks in for (spoiler) an awesome show.
Due to unknown reasons, no press photographers were able to photograph from the barricade pit. Usually, when covering a show with a photo pass, you’re able to photograph in the barricade for the first three songs. Since I couldn't shoot from the barricade, I had to shoot from the crowd and go rogue. And, honestly, while it is a challenge, it sure is a fun one. The last time this happened was when I was covering Wallows in Philly.
The setlist follows with “Boy,” “Duality,” “The Ghost of Saint Valentine,” “Dear Holiness,” and (a personal favorite) “(Pop)Ulr SciencE.” Bayside are not only great performers, but by watching them play, it shows that they love what they do. And the fact that they’re celebrating 25 years is absolutely incredible.
As I was making my way through the crowd, The Stone Pony was PACKED! While this show was supposed to be outside, I’m very happy they moved inside (the show must go on, as they say!). It made me so happy seeing The Stone Pony packed to the brim again with all kinds of demographics. There were some families, adults, young adults, kids! It’s really cool how music brings people together!
I was surprised the pit wasn’t open by now. Usually a punk rock, pop-punk show, the pit usually opens immediately. But we can cover more on that later.
Up next was, (another personal favorite), “Existing in a Crisis (Evelyn),” “Kellum,” and “Masterpiece.” “Evelyn” is definitely one of my favorite Bayside songs - the riffs, the beat, everything about it always gets stuck in my head.
At this point in the show, the pit has started to take form and honestly, was a decent amount of rowdy. Being in the pit and photographing during those three songs were honestly perfect. Not too soft, not too crazy - just right!
We’re only about halfway through the setlist so I’ll give you the rest of my highlights! To listen to the full setlist, check out the Spotify link below!
My favorites from the second half include “Don’t Call Me Peanut,” which is acoustic and brought a nice calm moment to the show. I absolutely loved that they played “Guardrail” - I love the studio version but there was something about the live version that made me love it even more. Before we get to the encore, “Dear Tragedy," which was the last of the main set, was the perfect way to move into the encore.
We closed off the set with Night 1 and performed such a love letter to their roots. Bayside ended The Errors Tour: Night 1 in Asbury with “Landing Feet First,” “Blame It on Bad Luck,” and “Devotion and Desire.” “Blame It on Bad Luck” was the first Bayside song I heard and still is definitely in my top 3 Bayside songs.
Bayside are absolute rockers who perform with their heart and soul to such a devoted audience. Happy 25th anniversary, Bayside!
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