Live Review: Bayside with The Sleeping at Eastside Bowl, Nashville, TN – September 12, 2025
Bayside. Cell Photo.
NYC pop punk stalwarts Bayside have been on tour celebrating 25 years together as a band, playing two nights at Nashville’s Eastside Bowl on September 11 and 12, with the first night being dedicated to their first four albums and the second night being dedicated to their most recent five albums. I had the privilege of attending the second night.
25 years is a long time for any band to be together, and this is a band that has seen it all. Loss and pain are instilled throughout the history and songs of the band, but even so, they have not only marched on, but grown beautifully.
It’s this attitude that has earned them so many fans, and it’s this attitude that has retained so many fans for several decades. Concertgoer Leeann Howe first saw the band in 2005, and has seen them several times since. “In 2005, when [my friend and I] saw them, the lyrics then meant so much to us. But even as adults, going back and listening…I spent the majority of the latter half of last night’s show crying because not only, when I was a teenager, did those lyrics mean so much to me, those lyrics mean so much more to me now as an adult, as a mom, as a grown-up.”
One may think the word “cult” has a negative connotation, but to Bayside fans, it’s an important part of their experience. It’s a word that serves as a title of one of their albums, that is displayed on their merchandise, and has become sort of a rallying cry for fans. You are far more likely to hear “Bayside is a cult” from a superfan than from someone who doesn’t like the band.
“When I used to go to their shows when I was an early college, late teenager, early 20s, everybody there was a lot older than me because they’re an early 2000s kind of punk emo,” said concertgoer Uriah, who was seeing the band for the first time in almost ten years. “I was kind of the young guy at the show. It was like an elder millennial-type band. Now I feel like those people I used to see, but those same people are at this show. The same fans are even older now.”
Bayside. Cell Photo.
The music was kicked off by post-hardcore veterans The Sleeping. With their high and infectious energy, they were the perfect appetizer for Bayside. As the crowd slowly got bigger and bigger, The Sleeping made good use of their decades of experience with a sound that was tight, crisp, and just plain catchy.
Finally, Bayside took the stage, coming in hot with their blazing tune “How to Ruin Everything (Patience)” off their most recent album.
The voice of singer and rhythm guitarist Anthony Raneri filled the room with the same freshness and angst that it did 20 years ago. It was clear that 25 years have only served to benefit the sound of the band, as they performed with chemistry that can only be developed by the most experienced of bands.
From top to bottom, the band made quick work of their sizable discography, wasting no time in their effort to cover all the bases. This show was meticulously constructed to satisfy their fervent fans, and they delivered.
Bayside. Cell Photo.
This passion of the fanbase was unmistakable the entire night. From where I stood, the crowd was a sea of waving arms, bobbing heads, and countless mouths that recited every word to every song. Described by the band as one of their deeper cuts of the night, even the song “Indiana” was received by the crowd as if it was Bayside’s biggest song. At times, the volume of the audience’s conjoined voices exceeded that of the band.
I noted that the vast majority of the crowd appeared to be people who had probably been listening to Bayside for the majority of the band’s time together, which only added to the love that swelled in the room. Bayside themselves had no reservations about commenting on the aging bodies of themselves and their fans, with bassist Nick Ghanbarian asking “How are your backs and your knees feeling?” of the audience. This was a perfect reflection of Bayside’s approach to this show: it was both a mocking and a celebration of aging.
If there was one word I would use to describe what I saw at the Eastside Bowl that night, it would be “connection”. The intimate venue provided a perfect setting for the fans and the band to spread their passion all around, and it’s an experience that is often few and far between concerts.
With their 25th anniversary shows, Bayside are staring Father Time, and all the tragedies and triumphs that come with it, in the face, and greeting it with a smile. What I saw at Eastside Bowl was a perfect celebration of all that has happened in the last two and a half decades.
Evan Weidl is a musician and writer from Nashville, Tennessee. He previously wrote for the Daily Iowan, and enjoys songwriting, playing guitar, and listening to all kinds of music.
