by photojournalist Dan Fernandez
Two powerhouse Florida alumni brought their Maximum Fun Tour to their home state on Saturday, September 27 when MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheater played host to Yellowcard (YC) and A Day To Remember (ADTR) with special guests Boundaries and State Champs. The genre bending mish mash of pop punk, metalcore, post- hardcore and more was on full display for the masses, and the masses were digging it!
The evening’s festivities began with the metalcore band Boundaries from Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 2013 the group has been consistent about dropping new music just about every 2 years from 2013’s Hartford County Misery to their most recent release Death Is Little More in 2024. Their current rotation consists of vocalist Matthew McDougal, guitarists Cory Emond and Cody DelVecchio, drummer/clean vocalist Tim Sullivan and bassist/vocalist Nathan Calcagno.
Following Boundaries was the pop punk shredding group of Albany, New York’s favorite sons State Champs. Founded by members Tyler Szalkowski and Derek Discanio in 2010 it did not take long to find success as their debut album The Finer Things opened at number 2 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart. Between the hypnotizing execution and genre alternating nature of their sets one would be hard pressed to find a better opening duo than that of Boundaries and State Champs. The collaborative effort resulting to resonate with the night’s metal leaning fans and pop punk leaning fans alike. I firmly believe that you will be hearing more from both opening acts in the very near future.
After the calm between sets subsided Yellowcard’s hype man entered the scene donning a red race suit and dark visored helmet. The BMX biker cruised the stage raising the roof before tossing the bike aside and breaking out the t-shirt canon. Obvious to say that this more than adequately stimulated the crowd to a full roar, making way for Yellowcard to storm the stage. Founded in Jacksonville Florida in 1997 the pop punk quartet’s current lineup consists of lead singer Ryan Key, lead guitarist Ryan Mendez, bassist Josh Portman and violinist Sean Mackin. Although the band is primarily defined as a pop punk group, they sought to differentiate themselves with an imaginative and inspired use of the violin. With 10 studio albums and near 30 years under their belt Yellowcard has released their first music since 2016 with their 2023 Childhood Eyes EP and 2025 Better Days EP. YC’s set spanned across 6 of their albums as well as a cover of the “Top Gun” anthem as their intro jam followed by “Only One” and “Lights and Sounds” complete with lasers and pyrotechnics. With patrons already either on the balls of their feet and edges of their seats it was their fan favorites “Only One”, “Lights and Sounds” and encore ender “Ocean Avenue” that had fans spellbound.
Finally, it was time for the headliners to take center stage as A Day To Remember’s time was rapidly approaching. Founded in 2003 in nearby Ocala, Florida by guitarist Tom Denney and Drummer Bobby Scruggs the band’s while current lineup features vocalist Jeremy McKinnon, rhythm guitarist Neil Westfall, percussionist Alex Shelnutt and lead guitarist Kevin Skaff. ADTR is known for their approach to songwriting, which blends metalcore verses with pop punk choruses. Being said, that amalgamation is an overly simplified description as it is hard to pigeonhole these guys to just one genre with critics referring to them as metalcore, pop-punk, post-hardcore, alternative rock, pop mash, and an emo hardcore metal mash, get the picture? No one single category can hold ADTR’s inventiveness. On their decision to explore mixing genres against popular opinion Mckinnon was quoted saying “It’s weird… See, it’s funny because we have been doing this for so long. When we started, this shit was not cool. Everyone told us mixing the two genres wouldn’t work. Hell, a lot of people still feel that way. We’ve just always played what we wanted to hear, and to be honest people weren’t doing it back then. We loved pop punk, we loved hardcore bands, and we couldn’t decide what to be. So, we said fuck it. Let’s do them both.” A Day to Remember released their most recent offering with 2025’s surprise drop of Big Ol Album Volume 1.
ADTR is known for creating experiences that you will remember, not just putting on a concert. Saturday night they did not disappoint, beginning their set with a theatric presentation on the stage back screen before inciting mass hysteria by rocketing onto the stage to a spirited rendition of “The Downfall of Us All.” Lasers, pyrotechnic walls of fire and confetti canons kept the audience charged while the bands dynamically kinetic performance invigorated crowd, which grew increasingly galvanized as bangers from their vast discography were brough to life. ADTR’s did a great job integrating their new material alongside their hits and B-sides, assuring that every fan, from newer to the day 1’s, all left fulfilled. The headliners set featured songs “Mr. Highway’s Thinking About the End”, “Paranoia”, “The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle”, “All My Friends”, “Bad Blood” and “Miracle” before closing the night out in monumental fashion with “If it Means a Lot to You”, “All I Want” and “All Signs Point to Lauderdale.”
Every facet of Saturday’s show was impressive, each band holding their own and each band showcasing the salient features that they bring to the table. This concert really brought me back to the prime Warped Tour Years of the early 2000’s. If you asked me, I could not be happier to see the resurgence of the punk, pop punk, hardcore and metalcore genres that were so pivotal in partially paving the way for my early eclectic musical exploration and the passion that developed from it. If you get the chance to catch their tour in your city do not miss out.
