A Day To Remember (w/ Asking Alexandria, Point North) @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom (Chicago, IL) on October 9, 2021 [Photos & Show Review]

Ocala, FL’s A Day To Remember brought their “Re-Entry Tour” to Chicago, IL on October 9th at Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom with supporting acts Asking Alexandria and Point North.

Los Angeles-based rock band Point North opened the show; and although it was a short set, they brought the energy and hyped up the crowd. Frontman Jon Lundin was never still for a moment, and the smiles between the rest of the band were contagious.

Brits Asking Alexandria were up next and played a mix of songs from their latest album See What’s On The Inside released earlier this month via Better Noise, as well as songs from their past discography. Opening with their latest chart-topper “Alone Again,” Asking Alexandria continued the energetic atmosphere Point North had started.

Having seen Asking Alexandria before, I noticed that lead singer Danny Worsnop sounded a bit hoarse and thus did not sound as great as he has in the past. The crowd did not seem to care and loved the set nonetheless.

The rest of their set included tracks such as my personal favorites “Antisocialist” and “The Violence” off of 2020’s Like A House On Fire, as well as “Alone In A Room” and “Into The Fire” from their 2017 self-titled album.

Danny ended their set by taking a photo of the crowd, as he “wanted to capture the moment.” And as in classic Asking Alexandria fashion, the rest of the band threw out their picks and drumsticks to the crowd.

Headliners A Day To Remember or “ADTR” absolutely killed their hour and a half long set, full of songs they play every tour, and songs they don’t normally play or have never played live.

The venue was dark as bassist Joshua Woodward, drummer Alex Shelnutt, and guitarists Neil Westfall and Kevin Skaff took the stage. Directly behind Alex was a giant set piece, the door from the album art on their newest release You’re Welcome via Fueled by Ramen. Entering the stage through the doorway, frontman Jeremy McKinnon kicked off the show, as ADTR began their set with “Right Back at It Again,” followed by “2nd Sucks” and “Degenerates.” During “Paranoia” is when things began to get interesting, as Jeremy encouraged the crowd to make a giant circle pit.

Things slowed down a bit during “Have Faith In Me” which Jeremy dedicated to all the ladies in the room. The calm did not last long, however, as “Mindreader” was next, and so was “crowd surfers on top of crowd surfers.” This is a classic part of an ADTR set when the band encourages fans to basically “surf” while standing on top of another crowd surfer.

Halfway through their set was when Jeremy spoke about the band’s thought process in selecting their setlist for the tour, and how they wanted to create moments by throwing in some songs they have never played live before. One of those moments was next when they played “Life @ 11.”

No ADTR show is complete without beach balls, toilet paper, and a t-shirt cannon; all 3 of which were brought out during the second half of their set, consisting of fan-favorites including “All I Want,” “All Signs Point To Lauderdale,” and “The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle.”

ADTR began their encore with some words of wisdom, that they “had unfinished business and wanted everyone to get their fucking money’s worth” before closing out the show with “If It Means a Lot to You,” “Sometimes You’re the Hammer, Sometimes You’re The Nail,” and “The Downfall Of Us All.”

I will never get tired of seeing A Day To Remember live, as they always put on an amazing performance.

Catch them on the rest of their Re-Entry Tour dates:

Oct. 15 – Reno, NV – Grand Sierra Casino
Oct. 17 – Las Vegas, NV – Theater At The Virgin Hotel Las Vegas
Oct. 18 – Paso Robles, CA – Vina Robles Amphitheatre
Oct. 20 – Los Angeles, CA – The Palladium
Oct. 22 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Federal Theater
Oct. 24 – New Braunfels, TX – Whitewater Amphitheater
Oct. 26 – Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom
Oct. 27 – Houston, TX – Bayou Music Center
Oct. 29 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion
Oct. 30 – Springfield, MO – O’Reilly Family Event Center
Nov. 1 – Knoxville, TN – Knoxville Civic Center
Nov. 2 – Columbia, SC – Township Auditorium
Nov. 3 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy
Nov. 5 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live
Nov. 6 – St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheatre