A Day To Remember
w/ Papa Roach, Falling In Reverse, The Devil Wears Prada
SF Armory
San Francisco, CA
March 2, 2018

Photos and review by Jared Stossel.

The SF Armory is the last place that anyone would expect a massive, full-production concert to take place. Hidden away in the Mission District of the city, this historical landmark has been used as a sports and entertainment venue, a pornography studio, office space, and a concert venue. It's gone through many iterations over the years, and what took place at the Armory on March 2nd may very well have been the last concert to ever take place within the building (the new owners have not intended to use the facilities as a venue space since taking on ownership of the venue). But if that was indeed the last show, they went out with one hell of a bang, courtesy of Florida's A Day To Remember and Vacaville, CA's Papa Roach.

The evening was kicked off with incredible opening sets from both The Devil Wears Prada and Falling In Reverse. While both of these acts did include selections from their newer albums (Falling in Reverse with 2017’s Coming Home and The Devil Wears Prada with 2017’s Transient Blues ), a number of songs from older releases were brought out for this tour. Most notably, The Devil Wears Prada brought out “Reptar, King of the Ozone”, a fan favorite from their sophomore album Plagues.

While A Day To Remember were the evening’s headliners, as it was the band’s tour in celebration of their fifteenth year as a band, main support Papa Roach played for a good hour, and proved that they could rival any headlinr they were placed on a bill. To this day, I still can’t decide if I loved A Day To Remember or Papa Roach more; they were both that good. Vacaville’s own Papa Roach brought forth a number of new songs and crowd favorites from their most recent album, Crooked Teeth . The crowd broke into a frenzy, complete with both a wall of death and a massive circle pit, throughout the evening, as the band powered through a catalogue of tracks like “Getting Away With Murder”, “Last Resort”, “...To Be Loved”, and “My Medication”. I can say with full honesty that the next time I’m presented with the chance to see Papa Roach again, I will take it without hesitation. They are one of the best bands in rock today, and one viewing of their live show will solidify you as a fan for life.

Haze floated across the stage as our headliners in A Day To Remember made their way in front of the sold out San Francisco crowd, launching straight into “I’m Made I’d Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of?”, from their highly acclaimed third album Homesick , followed shortly by the abruptly brutal “You Already Know What You Are”.

A number of LED screens came down behind the band to provide the theatrical backdrop for the evening’s festivities, lighting up in bright color and graphics as they played through an expansive collection songs from throughout their fifteen year career. Diehard fans were met with a great surprise when the band pulled out their Kelly Clarkson cover of “Since U Been Gone” (complete with American Idol-style graphics adorning the stage), Homesick ’s “My Life For Hire”, and “I Heard It’s The Softest Thing Ever”, a deep cut from the band’s sophomore album For Those Who Have Heart .

After a massive set filled with cryo cannons, blistering metalcore breakdowns, catchy pop-punk sing-alongs, and toilet paper flying through the air during songs like “All Signs Point To Lauderdale”, vocalist Jeremy McKinnon and guitarist Kevin Skaff took the stage to perform “If It Means A Lot To You”, a heartfelt acoustic track from Homesick , before the full band returned to do a semi-acoustic version of “I Remember”, a dedication anthem to their fans that appeared as the last track on their album Common Courtesy . The set was closed with “The Plot To Bomb The Panhandle” and “The Downfall of Us All”, followed shortly by a massive amount of confetti that coated the crowd before they departed into the rain filled streets of San Francisco.

As the years have gone by A Day To Remember have proved time and time again why they are as big as they are, and why they deserve the attention and acclaim they’ve been receiving. This show was a celebration of that hard work, and a dedication to the loyalty of their fans the world over. If you are a fan of rock music and you missed this one, simply because you didn’t feel like going...damn. I feel sorry for you.