Yellowcard Frontman Speaks Out on Band’s Return to Buffalo for First Time Since 2016

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Yellowcard will join Third Eye Blind for the “Summer Gods Tour 2024,” which is scheduled to stop at the Darien Lake Amphitheater on July 3.

The show will mark the Jacksonville rock band’s first performance in the Buffalo area since 2016’s Vans Warped Tour, and its first non-festival tour in the area since its 2015 Town Ballroom show.

Frontman Ryan Key talked about the upcoming tour and Darien Lake show.

“We’ve always had amazing shows in Buffalo, whether it’s on the Warped Tour or at a venue, so we’re excited to see everyone,” he said. “The New York fans are going hard, so we’re excited for the show.”

Return to the Queen City

Key talked about what he’s most excited about about the band’s long-awaited return to Buffalo.

“We have a lot of friends there who obviously haven’t toured for a long time and don’t tour as regularly as they used to, it’s going to be nice to meet up with friends in the New York neighborhoods outside of New York. »

He also said he regretted not being able to eat wings in Buffalo, in order to preserve his vocal cords.

“I like nuclear, so I can’t do it while I’m on the road,” he said. “But again, I think the most important thing, and maybe it’s a cliché to say – but it’s true – is to go back to these cities one by one and reconnect with our fans. That’s what we’re most focused on as a band right now.

Bring the group together

After Yellowcard announced their breakup in June 2016, it was widely believed that they would not get back together, as they had after their previous breakup nearly a decade prior. The band, however, reunited at Riot Fest 2022 in Chicago and have been playing together ever since.

“We never thought we were going to do this again,” Key said. “We left Yellowcard with a real sense of permanence, like it really ended in March 2017. It really ended in 2016 for the most part.”

Key said the group is now bigger than it has ever been – a different genre from their commercial success earlier to mid-year, when they had more “celebrity” and public recognition.

“We were all over the radio, we were part of a big wave of bands that were all over MTV and TRL,” he said. “(Now) the shows are much bigger than they ever were, even during the ‘Ocean Avenue’ cycle and the ‘Light and Sound’ cycle. These shows are five times bigger.

Key said that in San Diego, they would normally play at the 1,500-capacity House of Blues, but instead sold 8,000 tickets at Petco Park last summer.

“Coming back to every city we haven’t played in – over the next decade – is a really special thing for both us and the fans,” Key said. “There are countless cities we need to make this wish come true. Every time we announce a tour and there are no stops in certain places – especially Brazil, they are the most demanding, they love us – they always ask us to come back.

Between the breakup and reunion, Key joined fellow Florida pop-punk rockers New Found Glory, both as an opener and as a band member.

“I will just say how grateful I am to New Found Glory for the opportunity they gave me, to continue playing music live when I thought there would be no more Yellowcard,” said he declared. “I was really lost in the woods in 2017 when we moved away.”

He credited them with being a constant in his life as he tried to find a new musical path.

The 2024 summer tour

Key said the tour was very special for the band, getting the chance to open for Third Eye Blind, one of Yellowcard’s favorite bands of all time. He said the setlist would be geared toward the band’s ’90s kid roots and that the music would be “a little less pop-punk, a little more rock and roll.”

Key also said the band were speechless when they were offered the opportunity to open for Third Eye Blind, who they admire.

He mentioned that Third Eye Blind’s first two records were very instrumental in his musical career, particularly Third Eye Blind’s self-titled album, released when he was 17. He said he “made a hole” in the record, describing it as a “masterclass in pop music writing”.

“It had all these super infectious melodies and lyrics, but it was still so sonically unique – there was a lot of angst and edginess, while still somehow remaining super polished from the production standpoint,” Key said. “We’ve referenced this record so many times for different sounds… it’s a really important record for all of us.”

Key said he expects the crowd to be more Third Eye Blind and that Yellowcard fans coming to see them open are coming because they love the band and will appreciate the deep cuts on the setlist.

“We are very grateful to everyone who will be there,” he said. “Hopefully this will fill two different itches, where we’ll appeal to the older fans and the alternative ’90s fans who will be there to see Third Eye Blind with some of our music being played a little bit more to that audience , but it also makes Yellowcard fans very happy to attend this show because they are going to hear songs that they would never have the opportunity to hear normally.

In addition to the band’s hits “Ocean Avenue” and “Only One,” Key said to expect a few songs from their 2014 album “Lift a Sail,” which turns 10 this year. He said it was the band’s first real opportunity to play songs they don’t usually play and explore their discography a little more.

He also spoke of an impressive overall production for the Yellowcard sets this summer.

In addition to announcing their second tour since the reunion, Yellowcard released a collaboration with post-rock artists Hammock in February, titled “A Hopeful Sign.” The project is a reimagining of the group’s successes.

The 20th anniversary tour 2023

Last year, the band reunited for their first tour since breaking up, playing more than 20 venues across the United States to celebrate the 20th anniversary of “Ocean Avenue.” Although the tour didn’t stop in Buffalo, Key is eager to get back in front of Yellowcard’s fan base in Western New York this summer.

“I feel a little bad, because last year we did this huge Ocean Avenue 20th anniversary tour and we played every single we released for 90 minutes, and our first time in Buffalo, we’re playing a 50-minute show with some pretty deep cuts,” he said. “But it’s going to be a special show and I can’t wait for everyone to see it.”

Key explained the reasoning behind the decision to move away from hits and mix some songs they haven’t played in a while.

“We’ve been playing the singles for a long, long time,” Key said. “If you think about it, we did this ‘finale tour,’ where we really got to play all the fan favorite songs for the last time, we thought, and then we did Riot Fest, where we played ‘Ocean Avenue’ all the way, then we did the big summer tour last year, where we played the best known singles.

The Darien Lake show is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are available at this link. New Jersey rock band ARIZONA will open, followed by Yellowcard and Third Eye Blind.