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. :)

Another Enthusiastic Review From Melbourne!!

Well, it's obvious from Twitter and Facebook that Boyce Avenue have left a TON of very satisfied fans in their wake as they say goodbye to Australia and head back to the states.  It has been so much fun reading everyone's thoughts about the shows, and it's very clear that the guys had a blast in the "Land Down Under."

I received another review today from a VERY enthusiastic fan who saw Boyce Avenue's show at the Forum in Melbourne earlier this week.  Lauchie is a great BA fan and an aspiring guitarist, and he offered a very detailed and entertaining play-by-play of his entire experience.  :)

It was a cold winter night on the 8th of August when,  after weeks of disappointment,  I found out that Boyce Avenue’s Melbourne show was All Ages (via Boyce Avenue Street Team Australia’s Facebook Page.)  After some research and talks with my parents, we decided that I could go and we bought two tickets (for my Mum and me.)  The next day was my birthday! So I had to wait a couple of weeks but at least they put out more covers to keep me from going crazy! We got the tickets in the mail during the first week and that made it real...it was actually happening.

After school on the 25th of August we started on our way to Melbourne (about a 1½ hour trip.) We plugged my iPhone into the car and blasted Boyce Avenue covers and originals. We parked a couple of blocks away [from the Forum] and walked down. Once we got there, we had a quick chat to one of the bouncers and turned the corner to find we were the first ones there. This made me even more excited because [I] realized that we were going to be at the front of the line. It was about 5:30 in the afternoon and the doors were not opening until 7:45. So we sat down and waited.

After about 20 minutes, more people started to show up.  We started to hear faint music coming [from inside]....it was Boyce Avenue starting their sound-check. We [struck up a conversation with] the girl sitting next to us, and we actually talked right up to 7:45 and stayed together all night.

At 7:15 the bouncers put us into the line they had made and things started to fall into place. Right at 7:45, they opened the doors. I ran over to the Merchandise Stand and bought a t-shirt and the All We Have Left CD. Then we waited for the Auditorium Doors to open at 8:00.

As soon as the doors opened, I got three positions saved on the barrier for my Mum, our new friend and myself...which was right in front of where Alejandro would be standing!

We talked while waiting for the support act (Mark Wilkinson) to come on. While waiting I tried to take pictures of the setlist, and while I failed, the girls next to us did not.  The setlist was great and we all were beaming with excitement. I read out the excited Boyce Avenue tweets to everyone until 8:25, when Mark came out. He was actually pretty good but the only song that really stood out for me (and Mum also) was the song about Benny about being bullied (I may have forgotten the name.)

Mark finished at 9:05 and we had to wait fifteen minutes for Boyce Avenue to come out. Someone came out and hid behind the drum kit, sticking his head out to watch the crowd every so often. We also got our photos taken by one of them to put on Twitter. One of the roadies moved Alejandro’s microphone stand closer to us. This made us all go quiet for a few seconds, realizing he was going to be so close.

At 9:20 the guys came out and [opened with] Daylight, which then quickly turned into Tonight and the crowd was pumped and started to sing along.  Tonight [transitioned] into Not Enough and after some talking with the crowd Alejandro grabbed an acoustic guitar and played the best version of Wonderwall I had ever heard, with a guitar solo and everything. That was followed by More Things To Say, which had an awesome acoustic guitar solo played by Alejandro! He then swapped guitars and they all sat on stools to play Find Me, Teenage Dream, Grenade, and Briane. They all then stood up and played When The Lights Die.

Photo by Xenia Agrotis

Alejandro swapped his electric guitar for a keyboard and belted out Broken Angel and On My Way. The he was back on his acoustic guitar and played Change Your Mind and Rolling In The Deep.

Alejandro [went] back to an electric and played an awesome version of Every Breath. Then they went off stage and came back on for the encore, in which they played Dare To Believe [with Alejandro back on the keyboard], Iris on acoustic and Hear Me Now on electric. They got half the crowd singing the Ooh woah's and the other half doing the Can you hear me now's.  Right before leaving the stage Alejandro gave me his guitar pick and I nearly died.

We waited out the front for about ten minutes to try and meet them but as they didn’t come out we left for home. On the way back we listened to my video of the night and it was really great.  The next day I still couldn’t believe what had happened the night before. I can’t wait for them to come back.

All in all I thought it was a fantastic concert. And my Mum is now a big fan. Well done, Boyce Avenue! It was worth coming out to see you live. A brilliant night was had by all!

Australia, you have been BOYCED!

Lauchie, you are awesome!!  This recap/review was so much fun to read, and I'm so glad you shared your experience with all of us!!

"Get Boyced!!" Is Now On Twitter!!

Well, I did it.....I created a twitter account.  I'll be using the twitter account primarily for for blog updates, but will also retweet stuff from Boyce Avenue's and Boyce Avenue Street Team America's twitter feeds.

Feel free to follow the blog on twitter and be notified about new posts, featured fans, contests and more. Thanks so much for your support!!  :)

Click here to follow Get Boyced!! on twitter.

The Streets Of Seattle Have Been Boyced!!

I went into Seattle today with my sister and three of our friends and did a bunch of street teaming to promote the show on September 10th. We started at Pike Place Market, and then headed up to the University District. We met some colorful people along the way, and told a ton of people about Boyce Avenue. It was a lot of fun.

Armed & Dangerous!! Me, my sister Heather, Lauren S., Stephanie, and Lauren H.

I found out that with my library card, I can print 75 flyers a week for free!! So, every week I'm going to the library with my card and four others (belonging to family members) and I'm able to print 375 flyers a week for free!! I plan to go out again at least one more time in August and do some more promoting.

Flyers, flyers, flyers!!!

 

 

Promote Boyce Avenue in your city, and you could win a Meet & Greet with the guys!! Check out the Boyce Avenue Street Team America page on Facebook for more info.

The Dare To Believe Fan Project

It's finally here!! After months of hard work, the Dare To Believe Fan Project is released! I'm so excited!!

Emy and Tati,

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!....for working so hard on this project and for putting this video together. I know it was a lot of work, and I think it turned out beautiful!!

I was deeply touched watching it and really impressed by the creativity of some of the photos. I'm thrilled that I got to be a part of it. I love my BA Family!!


Dear Daniel, Fabian, and Alejandro,

You guys have been one of our biggest inspirations, and we wanted to do something to show you that, and give back to you as fans. We all agreed this song meant the most to us, and it is extremely meaningful to you guys as well. Since the song is dedicated to a fan, we thought it would be nice for us to all come together and share what it means for us "to believe", with the strength you have given us through your music.

We appreciate absolutely everything you do for us.. from the covers, v-blōgs, and tours, to replying to us on facebook and twitter. You always put the fans first with everything you do and we love you for that. We truly feel that we have been involved in this music journey of yours, and we will continue to support you as long as you continue to do what you love to do.

Love,

Your Fans

Sneak Peek: The Dare To Believe Fan Project

Earlier this week, Boyce Avenue teased fans with a sneak peek of their new video for "When The Lights Die" creating a frenzy of excitement and anticipation.

This morning, the fans responded in kind with a teaser of their own.

A group of us were online, chatting on one of the Boyce Avenue fan pages on Facebook, when Heidi (a fan in Denmark) suggested that Emy (the brains behind the project) create and post a teaser to the guys' Facebook pages. The excitement about Heidi's suggestion was immediate, and within minutes, Emy Petraityte (Get Boyced! fan of the month for May) had created the video. Great job, Emy!! ♥





This project is such an amazing example of the love we, the BA Family, have for Boyce Avenue and the power that their music has to bring people together.

Many, many thanks to Emy and Tati Homann for all of their hard work on this project. Can't wait for July 6th!!

UPDATE: Alejandro responded to the sneak peek on Twitter!!

It's stuff like this that makes us love these guys so much. They're just so freaking cool. ♥

Boyce Avenue Nominated for Channel One's Hear It Now Artist of the Year!!

Channel One has nominated Boyce Avenue for their Hear It Now Artist of the Year award! To vote them through to next round, click here. Anyone can vote as many times as they want, but Round 1 ends Sunday. So we gotta rack up those votes quickly!