Dare To Believe: Boyce Avenue in Sydney - Concert Review by Tommy Schroeter

Last Sunday, Daniel from Boyce Avenue was interviewed by Dave Hammond on the Australian Radio Show The Conversation. At the end of the interview Daniel personally invited Dave and the team at Fusion Western Sydney to come see the show at the Enmore Theater.

The Conversation's Entertainment Producer Tommy Schroeter offered to write a recap/review of the show for Get Boyced!! YAY!!

The Mood when I walked into Enmore had a great sense of energy. It was like a buzz I had not felt before as we were all assigned our seats or directed to the floor space to dance and sing the night away. It dawned on me very quickly we were in for a great night and to be prepared to be blessed.

Tommy & Friends outside The Enmore Theater

It was no sooner had that happened that the lights dimmed and on stage appeared former Australian Idol Winner Wes Carr. It’s been a while since us Aussie’s have heard from him, and his new tunes are amazing. He gave an amazing set including a touching and humorous tribute to his Nana who had only a few hours to live. Vocally Wes has never sounded better and I think he even recruited some new fans follow him on twitter on (@Wescarrmusic)

Set highlights: “Been A Long Time”, “Love Is an Animal”, “Blood and Bone”, “Gloria”.

But as the crowd sang along with Wes and clapped, it was only a mere murmur as we all eagerly awaited the arrival of the three boys we had truly rocked up to see....BOYCE AVENUE!!

The lights shone bright, and as the sound techs walked across the stage the crowd
went crazy....while the screams were reaching fever pitch, Fabian, Daniel and Ladies' Favorite Alejandro Manzano arrived on stage and the moment the first note was sung I knew we were in for a party bigger than that we had on New Years Eve 1999!

Photo by Boyce Avenue

We heard everything from Wonderwall (can I just add that was the best crowd sing-along I have ever been a part of?!?!) to Teenage Dream to Dynamite...the night was off to an amazing start!

A lot of love was in the room....but for many the stand out moments were when the boys showcased the gift of songwriting each of them has as tracks they had written were performed.

The tear-jerking moment came when Daniel [shared] the sad story behind “Briane.” The
song speaks volumes and sounded like we had been transported to that very moment in
time. For me I'm a very visual person and could just imagine what it must have felt like the moment [Briane's death] happened. I'm so encouraged that people like Boyce Avenue are being a voice for this generation, raising awareness for suicide and sending out a positive message for those who have the chance to hear it.

Another amazing moment was when “Every Breath” was performed, and to hear 2,000
rowdy Aussies singing along note by note with Alejandro.

One thing I discovered about the boys is that they are very humble and for me the most
inspiring moment came when Alejandro spoke about being happy being single and how he knows in the right place and time that “the one” will appear. As a single male of a
similar age it was so refreshing to hear that I'm not the only one having those thoughts and the moment the opening keys started playing “On My Way” I was taken on a journey. This particular song has been a bit of an anthem for me of late as I have been moving forward in my own life journey. I love the words, the tune...everything about this track is magical. [It] was definitely one of the highlights of the night for many.

“Find me” was the moment that the entire audience was hanging off every lyric. It was a very surreal and and moving version. “Broken Angel” for me was such a powerful message...as a youth worker in Western Sydney we are faced with a lot of people who are struggling so to hear the story behind this song was very encouraging to see that there can be hope at the end of the tunnel.

Photo by Tommy Schroeter

Another crowd favorite was “Rolling In The Deep.” There was foot stomping going on all over the Enmore and voices singing out those lyrics with the boys.... it was a rocking and amazing moment as this version is so unique yet true to Adele’s smash...I think that’s why people love it so much.

As the show was drawing to a close the {journey] that the boys had taken us on was still very real in the atmosphere. It was such a unique and spine tingling moment.

But for me the greatest moment came when Alejandro sat a single piano to sing what has
become an anthem in all that I do of late: “Dare To Believe.” When the chorus kicked in I couldn't help but sing along. "Dare To Believe" flowed into the grand finale, "Hear Me Now.” The crowd got split [for a sing-along] and Alejandro got pulled into the crowd by girls (all vying for the title of Mrs. Manzano) but made it back on stage with an epic leap of faith...

“Iris” proved the surprise hit of the night with the 2000 strong crowd singing it word
for word and even chanting “One More , One More” in the song break to which Alejandro
responded “We’ll do one more when we finish this one!” Hahaha, it was a great end to a great show.

After the show we got to head backstage (or should I say under the stage) to meet the
brothers and it was such a special time for us all. They were all so friendly as we spoke about things from Wes Carr to The Australian People to Fabian's guitar-playing faces to the tour and how they will be back. It was so nice meeting them and having [some] great laughs as well.

The photo below shows the Conversation Host Dave Hammond his Wife Sallie and some
of his children: Jonah, Daisy and Rubie, along with a young person who does creative arts projects with us at Fusion Western Sydney named Aaron, fellow youth worker James and myself. I love this photo is shows a sense of community amongst us and the boys and we all hope that this relationship we are developing with the boys and their management can be ongoing.

Dave Hammond, Aaron, Alejandro, Daniel, James (in front), Fabian, Rubie, Jonah, Tommy and Sally

In closing, I went in with very high expectations of the show but left in a very different place....one that was filled with admiration and inspiration. One thing I learned is that if you have a dream, to chase it, no matter where you come from and what it is. For Boyce Avenue it started with a single video uploaded to YouTube that has turned into over 300,000 subscribers and has given them the chance to tour the world sharing stories of hope and inspiration.

I also think that Boyce Avenue have become another voice for this generation as they bring hope to youth and people the world over, [whether] it be through an original or a cover.

This quote sums up what I'm trying to say....“If you don't dream big, there's no use of dreaming. If you don't have faith, there's nothing worth believing.” ~Justin Bieber


I think it's safe to say, Tommy has been BOYCED!! Muahaha!! :)

Great recap, Tommy!! Thanks so much for taking the time to write it, and for sharing it with Get Boyced!! Glad you enjoyed the show so much. :)