Back in 2000, the world seemed a bit simpler than it does these days. Movie buffs were introduced to the worlds of American Psycho’s Patrick Bateman and Gladiator. Gamers were getting their first taste of the PlayStation 2 and The Sims. All the while, a little band out of Burlington, Ontario was getting ready to embark on the journey of a lifetime. While the rest of the world may have gotten far more complicated over time, Silverstein have been there to give fans something worth cheering about. Original members Shane Told (Vocals), Josh Bradford (Rhythm Guitar), Billy Hamilton (Bass), Paul Koehler (Drums), and longtime member Paul Marc Rousseau (Lead Guitar) are currently celebrating that last quarter-century with their 25 Years of Noise North American Tour. The tour was first announced in September of last year with tickets going on sale towards the end of that month. 

The band followed up that announcement in October by announcing that Antibloom, the first part of their double album Antibloom / Pink Moon, will be released on February 21, 2025, while the second part, Pink Moon, will arrive in late 2025. The album holds much meaning, not just in celebration of their 25 successful years, but also for everything the band has learned and experienced since the beginning. Supporting acts Thursday, Split Chain and later Arm’s Length were added to help Silverstein celebrate the huge milestone. The tour kicked off in Philadelphia on January 10 and arrived less than a week later in Long Island’s Paramount Theater on January 15 for a show that had been mostly sold out save for some loge seats and some in the Skybar section in the back of the venue. This meant the dancefloor was set to be filled with devoted fans ready to celebrate along with Silverstein and their guests. 

Split Chain would take the honor of opening the night. The band out of Bristol, UK is currently enjoying their first ever American tour and, as such, the fifth stop marked their first New York performance ever Roberto Martinez-Cowles (Vocals), Oli Bowles (Guitar), Jake Reid (Guitar), 

Tom Davies (Bass) and Aaron Black (Drums) blend Nu-Metal and Grunge sounds in a way that harkens back to the days of Silverstein’s beginnings. The band has grown popular, starting independently before signing with Epitaph Records. The live crowd, which grew strong throughout their time on stage, were treated to cuts of their tracks, including “Future,” “Chalk,” and “Extract.” Split Chain will continue to make it worth showing up early for the 25 Years of Noise Tour. Hopefully, it’s just the first of many times American fans get to experience the band live. 

Split Chain

Photo Credit: Spooky Media

Much like Split Chain, Arm’s Length was playing their first-ever show in Long Island. The Ontario, Canada-based Pop Punk band came to the Paramount energized and ready to have fun as the last band announced for the tour. Allen Steinberg (Vocals / Guitar), Jeremy Whyte (Guitar), Marty Hacker-Mullen (Guitar) Benjamin Greenblatt (Bass), and Jeff Whyte (Drums) kicked things off with “In Loving Memory” and instantly won over the Long Island faithful. “Funny Face” and “Tough Love” were among others the band played for the growing crowd before closing their night off with “Garamond.” It’s hard to believe this night marked the first Long Island show for Arm’s Length, but they left the crowd wanting more. With some fans already singing along with their tracks, it’s just a matter of time before this band has everyone in attendance knowing their name.

Arm’s Length 

Photo Credit: Spooky Media

Thursday was next up and a perfect choice to provide direct support for Silverstein. Both bands first started hitting their strides under the same record label, Victory Records, around the same time. Since then, they both have gone their separate ways and had strangely never toured together before. During the press release for the tour, Shane Told exclaimed that Silverstein was “thrilled to be finally touring with our legendary friends in Thursday, who we have looked up to for two decades.” Quite the glowing review for the Post-Hardcore band out of New Brunswick, New Jersey. Geoff Rickly (Vocals), Tom Keeley (Lead Guitar), Steve Pundulla (Rhythm Guitar), Tim Payne (Bass), and Tucker Rule (Drums) came to the Paramount stage seemingly determined to earn every bit of the accolades Told had given the band. 

The band opened up with “The Other Side of the Crash/Over and Out (of Control)” before bringing fans back to the band’s roots with “Cross Out The Eyes”. Between tracks, Rickly expertly pumped up the crowd for the headlining act. He also took some time to address the nation’s political turmoil in a positive way. The set included several classic Thursday tracks but also included the band’s newest release, “Taking Inventory of a Frozen Lake.” The hard-hitting song marks their third single released after a thirteen-year drought of new material. Sadly, other new tracks, “Application For Release From The Dream” and “White Bike,” released in April and December of last year, respectively, weren’t part of the night’s setlist. 

Still, by the time the band closed out with “War All The Time,” fans had been treated to a great selection of tracks that earned the admiration of their fans and Silverstein alike. Time will tell if the three new songs lead to a full release on Thursday. If the new cuts are anything to go by, the full release would be a masterpiece amongst the band’s beloved albums. For now, the band can rest assured that they are every bit deserving of the hype that Told had given them when this tour was first announced and will continue to delight fans as it makes its way through America. 

Thursday

Photo Credit: Spooky Media

Tickets to the show’s GA floor tickets had sold out in advance, and it showed as the packed-out crowd eagerly awaited the headlining act. Soon, the lights went down, and a video package played, giving fans a quick, playful history lesson of the band covering the band’s roots to today. The awesome package featured footage of early shows, joked about how some fans might have burned their albums (and how they forgive those fans), and pumped up the crowd before Silverstein graced the stage. Shane Told readied himself at center stage, ready to go back to his roots.. hair roots, that is. The lead vocalist is rocking a longer cut these days, bringing us back to the 2005 “Emo hair” phase, and we’re not mad about it. Quite fitting for this 25-year tour! 

Colored lights flicked on, and sound pumped through the speakers, starting things off with two brand-new singles from Antibloom. “Skin & Bones” and “Confession” were the obvious choices off the newest album and kicked off the night for the excited fans. Soaking in the early cheers, Told took some time to address a fan in the crowd who had brought a sign hoping to play drums

with the band. The vocalist had to shoot down the request as the band’s drums were on risers, but the interaction would surely be a memory that the fan would not soon forget. The band took steps further back in time as they worked on every album of the band’s long history. Even Short Songs received some love with “One Last Dance” among the big hits like “Bad Habits,” “Aquamarine,” and “Massachusetts. 

As the night progressed, the Told continued to take fans down Memory Lane as he recalled several times the band had played the Long Island area, recalling their first show in the area back in 2003 at the long-gone venue Local 7 in Deer Park. The small venue had hosted early shows for soon-to-be mainstays, including Bayside and Fall Out Boy, as well before closing their doors in 2003. Told joked “It was basically like someone’s basement. referring to the small venues where the band found their start. The band has come a long way since that tour, which was their first US tour following their start in Canada. 

The band brought it into a new gear with some of their harder tracks, “Sacrifice and Vices, both of which opened the pits and brought on a slew of crowd surfers. Told’s bandmates left the stage with his Taylor acoustic guitar for “The Tide Rises Every Ship. One of the many highlights of the night started with Told then playing “The End off A Shipwreck in the Sand (2009). Before this tour, the band had only played the hit four times since its release over fifteen years ago. Lights wasn’t in the building, so Told had fans sing the vocalist’s portion of the song, which they did to perfection as the band came back to complete the song together. After a few more hits, the band brought their main set to an end with crowd pleaser “Smile In Your Sleep. 

Eighteen songs would be enough for most headlining acts but Silverstein still had more tricks up their sleeve and a debut album that still hadn’t received any love that night. The encore opened with Told bringing back out his acoustic guitar for “My Heroine. The rest of the band rejoined him and confetti cannons shot off into the crowd as they brought fans back to their roots with two tracks off of their first album, 2003’s “When Broken Is Easily Fixed’s Smashed Into Pieces. The band then gave fans one last track to sing along with, “Bleeds No More,” before thanking fans and calling it a night. Twenty-one songs, including the three-song encore, gave fans a taste of every album the band has released to this point. Working backward throughout the set, nostalgia grew throughout the night. Like any other band, there were obviously some must-play tracks but the format of their set allowed them to pull out some deeper cuts along the way to surprise the crowd. 

Silverstein has come a long way since their humble beginnings. The band has gone from being able to count their fans at a show on one hand to having numerous fans they can count on. Although the group tours often, they always manage to find a way to make every tour seem distinct and important. The 25 Years of Noise Tour is no different as the band celebrates the major milestone they’ve reached. The anniversary tour continues through February 15 when the band closes it out in Montreal. The next time they hit your hometown, do yourself a favor and see what all the noise is about.

Silverstein

Photo Credit: Spooky Media

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Sara Elizabeth