Boyce Avenue's Fall Tour Rolls On - San Francisco

Boyce Avenue played the third show of their 2011 Fall US/Canada Tour on Tuesday night at the legendary Fillmore in San Francisco, and I got an awesome recap and review of the show from Kimmy Warne....

Before The Show

Having never met Boyce Avenue before, I decided to buy a Meet and Greet package. I got to the venue around 5:30 and met up with Gwen, whom I had met online, of course through Boyce Avenue. She had met the guys a few times before, and leads the Australia Street Team – so it was exciting to be there with someone who was just as passionate about their music as I am.

Kimmy and Gwen

We waited outside the venue until around 6:00pm with the other M&G’s, then a staff member led us upstairs in the Fillmore, where we were to meet Boyce Avenue! As we walked up the stairs and turned the corner, there they were! It was pretty surreal; I am a fairly new fan, but it was still weird to be standing right in front of them. There were about 15 of us for the M&G, and it was extremely quick. We all lined up, and an employee handed us all VIP Meet and Greet necklace laminates, and pre-signed Boyce Avenue posters with all of their tour dates and locations listed. When they saw Gwen they started talking to her and giving her hugs, since they knew her from Street Teaming and prior shows. I was next, and it was literally seconds. I had made a collage for them, so they handed that to them, and they seemed appreciative. I didn’t have time to say much, but I had written on the back of the collage, which basically stated everything I would have said anyway. I told them how excited I was for the show, and how proud I was that they were playing at the Fillmore, and then got a picture with them. I was surprised I wasn’t nervous – I think a mixture of excitement and being with others, made me feel at ease. They didn’t say much; of course thanked us for coming to the show, but overall, it was pretty brief.

Kimmy and the guys before the show

Right after each person met them, we had to go back outside the venue and wait in line until the doors opened at 7:00pm. One of the perks to the M&G was that we got to go to the front of the line, therefore going into the venue first. Around 7:00 we were led to the entrance of the venue and allowed in. Right when we walked into the venue, Fabian was walking across the room. I had wanted to ask him for a guitar pick during the M&G, but it was so quick that I didn’t have time. I went up to him, and asked him if he had any extra picks on him, or if they were all onstage. He was super nice, and said they were all backstage, but he would look for me in the crowd during the show, to give me one. Since we got the M&G, we were able to get front row!! There was a small barrier between us and the stage, so that the photographer could get in and take pictures. I was standing right in front of the mic that Alejandro would soon be singing out of!

Opening Acts

At 7:30, Megan Nicole took the stage. She was absolutely amazing. I had heard a few of her songs before, and she was just as incredible live. Megan Nicole played acoustic guitar, and also had someone else on stage playing guitar with her. Her performance lasted 30 min, and then there was a 15-minute intermission until Curtis Peoples took the stage. He was amazing as well; an extremely talented artist. He sang all original songs that we wrote, which I really enjoyed. His friend, Steve Miller, was playing guitar with him as well. Curtis was super friendly, and interacted with the crowd a lot. His sound and vibe was similar to Boyce Avenue, and all of his songs were extremely relatable. He performed for 30 minutes as well, until 8:45, and then crew members came out to arrange the stage for Boyce Avenue.

Boyce Avenue

About 20 minutes later, someone came out to test all of the guitars, drums and microphones, so we knew we were getting close. Then the lights started to dim down, and we could see the guys upstairs. The crowd started screaming, and that point, Daniel came on stage, followed by Fabian and then Jason, their drummer. Alejandro was last to take the stage, as expected, with his guitar already with him. They have a lighting director on tour with them, so the whole performance was much more produced than their previous tours. As they came on stage, with the lights still dimmed, they started playing “Daylight”, the song they start every concert with. The lights then flashed a few times, and they started rocking out. We had the most amazing view, with Alejandro’s mic right in front of us.

I absolutely love the energy they give off to each other, and the crowd. They are naturals at interacting with everyone; it seems as though it comes second nature to them. They sang all their songs from “All We Have Left”, and included some covers as well. Right after Tonight, someone came out to switch guitars for Alejandro. He was using a different guitar for the first 4 or 5 songs. Someone made a comment about it in the crowd, and he just said each one has its own sound and benefits. I love watching all three brothers playing together. At times, Daniel would go over to Jason on the drums, and start playing in front of him. Other times, he would walk over to Fabian, and they would play together. It is great to see their interaction with one another, and you can tell they are truly, genuinely happy.

Alejandro....killin' it.

After that song, Alejandro switched out his guitars again – this time to an acoustic. I absolutely love when they play their acoustic sets; it is what made me fall in love with them in the first place. Alejandro mentioned that as well, saying that they are known for the acoustic covers and rendition of songs, so they were going to play a few. The crowd was full of “screamers”, but they didn’t seem to mind – and you could see them smiling every time there was a long cheer or scream.

One of my favorite parts, was during “Briane”; I was singing along and looked at over at Daniel, and we smiled at each other. I could tell how appreciative he is of their fans, especially during that song, since it means the world to them. Certain points in the song, they would stop playing, and Alejandro would sing a capella which is gorgeous, and completely fitting for the song.

"Briane"

One of the best additions to this tour was the keyboard. They brought it on the Spring 2011 Europe tour and their Australia tour, and I’m guessing they got a good response from it. Us US fans hadn’t been exposed to the keyboard on tour yet, so it was a nice surprise. On YouTube, Alejandro plays the piano quite a bit, so it was nice to have that familiar sound.

My favorite song of the night was “Fast Car”. That is the very first song I heard from Boyce Avenue, and was hooked right away. I was hoping for them to sing it on tour, but since it was a duet with Kina Grannis, I didn’t think they would. The last song of the night was “Hear Me Now”, which they consider their tour anthem. It is by far one of my favorite songs, and my favorite to hear live. It is such an upbeat song, and I love the lyrics. It’s the perfect song to end the night with, and Alejandro does a lot of crowd interaction throughout the song as well. During this song, Alejandro came down towards the crowd; there was a bit of space between the stage and the barriers where we were. He was standing up on these blocks in front of the barriers, and everyone was screaming and trying to give him hugs. He had the biggest smile on his face; you can tell he was truly enjoying himself and the crowd. They are so energetic when they perform, that the crowd just feeds off it during their shows.

Once the song was over, they were throwing picks into the crowd and giving high fives. I’m guessing Fabian had seen me in the crowd, because he came to where I was standing and handed me one. I was so thrilled!!

Kimmy with her pick....and the setlist!

After the Show

Once the show was over, we went to the merch tables to meet Curtis Peoples and Megan Nicole. They were both there, taking pictures with fans and signing autographs. Since the M&G was so short, we decided to wait to see if they would come out. They hadn’t come out after the show the two previous nights in Seattle and Vancouver, but their bus was parked right in front of the venue, so they had to come out sooner or later! We waited inside for about 30 minutes, and then the employees started to kick us out. To our surprise, when we went outside, there was a line already formed and Boyce Avenue was meeting fans! We got a place in line, and as patiently as we could, waited our turn. The guys were being super friendly – taking pictures with everyone, signing things, just being super humble and awesome. I got to hug all of them, and although it sounds creepy, it was really nice! They are just super friendly guys, and make you feel extremely welcome.

Kimmy and Alejandro - good pic!! :)

Fabian was definitely the more reserved one, and Daniel was just full of energy. I told Fabian “Thank you” for pick, and he said he was glad he could find me. I got another picture with all of them, and then an individual one with Daniel and Alejandro. After I took the one of Alejandro and I, he said it was a good picture. I told them that the show was incredible, and they blew me away. I had seen them before, but they just continue to get better and better. I let them know how proud I was that they were playing at The Fillmore, and the incredible bands that had played there before. Daniel was like “Yep, I remember that tweet....I re-tweeted it.” I was so shocked when he said that!! I never mentioned my name to them (I guess I was too fan crazed, I forgot that piece of information), so it took me by surprise and was the last thing I was expecting!! I also got them to sign my laminate from the M&G before the show. Although we had a pre signed poster, I wanted them to actually autograph something in front of me, especially for me – much more special!

We talked with them for a little bit more, just wishing them luck with the rest of the tour and everything, but there was a line behind us, so we couldn’t be too long. We said our farewells, all giddy and happy, and then left the venue.

Fabian, Kimmy, Alejandro and Daniel after the show

Overall, the show was amazing. It was definitely more produced that the last tour, but the lighting and keyboard added a certain dynamic to the show this time. I loved their song choices, and adding new covers to the set list. Alejandro was good about giving credit to his brothers when they had written a song they were going to play. They are one of the few bands that sounds better live, then they do online, or on a CD. I also think the fact that we can see their emotion and their personalities shine through with each song, us fans can really connect with them through every concert. I cannot wait until 6 months from now, when they come back again, hopefully. Thanks guys, I’ve officially been “boyced.”