Grayscale kept the Wellmont Theater alive with breathtaking performance | 9/12/25 | Photos & Review

September 26, 2025 Leave a comment

Often dubbed one of my personal favorite things to come out of Philadelphia, Grayscale have been a riveting force in the alt-rock scene since their formation in 2016. Consisting Collin Walsh, Andrew Kyne, Dallas Molster and Nick Veno, the four-piece released their emotionally compelling fourth studio album The Hart in January. The band previously hit the road this year for an Australian headline tour and as support for Mayday Parade’s Cheers For 20 Years Tour in the spring. 

Now, Grayscale joins Our Last Night for The Final Tour across North America alongside Wind Walkers. As someone who has been listening to Grayscale since high school and went to college 10 minutes from the Wellmont Theater, seeing the band so close to home was everything I could’ve ever dreamed of. 

The night kicked off with Wind Walkers, a vibrant post-hardcore and alternative metal band from central Massachusetts. I’ve been casually listening to the band for a little over a year now, but their live energy blew me away. “Drowning Hymns” and “Bodybag” are two of my favorite tracks from Wind Walkers and hearing them live elevated them in a way I can’t even describe. The band was a lot of fun to watch on stage and I’m excited for their upcoming EP I Don’t Belong Here. 

Grayscale followed shortly after and, as always, delivered a killer set. Opening with “Kept Me Alive,” the Philly rockers showed the crowd that they were in for one hell of a 45 minutes. I’ve been lucky enough to catch the group on tour twice now and Walsh’s vocals have immediately sent chills down my spine the second he picks up the mic both times. His voice especially shines through on “Through the Landslide” and “Talking In My Sleep,” showcasing his incredible range. 

The first older song of the night was “Dirty Bombs,” a fun track from their 2021 album UMBRA. This one in particular was a highlight of this night for me. Getting to sing along to every word and look around to see others in the crowd doing the same felt so healing. Grayscale also played “Fever Dream” from their 2017 debut album “Adornment.” This song is always a treat live, especially when you hear how loud the audience gets at the “So sit down, shut off / I don’t know how I let you lead so long” part. 

After listening to Grayscale for almost 8 years, finally getting to hear one of my favorite songs of theirs truly took the cake for the best part of this night. When I saw my first Grayscale show at The Stone Pony Summer Stage back in May, they had skipped over “In Violet” on the setlist for a special surprise performance of “Mum II.” Being able to finally hear this one live after so many years was a beautiful experience and I even found myself in one of the few mosh pits during their set for it. I’m not kidding when I say that this song was on almost every single Spotify playlist I made from the ages of 14 to 18 (and still is scattered amongst a few I listen to daily). 

Between songs, Walsh took the time to make some funny comments and express his gratitude to Our Last Night for taking the band on this tour. My personal favorite moment was when he asked the crowd if Montclair was Jets or Giants territory before exclaiming that it doesn’t matter and “Go Birds!” in honor of their home team the Eagles. He also acknowledged how they’re a bit out of place on the lineup of heavier artists, to which their solution was to perform an epic cover of Van Halen’s “Panama.” 

They ended their portion of the night with the closing track and lead single from The Hart, “Not Afraid To Die.” This song live is so special for so many reasons. From its beautifully motivating message to its cinematic production, Grayscale put their heart and soul into this track and it shows every time they perform it. “Not Afraid To Die” still hits so hard even two years after its release and remains as a dazzling finale to their live shows. 

While I’m not as familiar with or as big of a fan of Our Last Night, their energy on stage blew me away. The post-hardcore band first popped into the scene in 2004 and has since built a massive discography that blends re-imagined covers of popular songs and their own stellar original music. They kicked off their set with a cover of Gracie Abrams’ “That’s So True” and I could feel the entirety of the Wellmont Theater come alive for the band. 

While the band announced they’d be halting touring to spend more time with their families and focus on new music, Our Last Night presented an energetic and bittersweet final show in New Jersey on the 12th. The Final Tour wraps up on Friday, September 26th in Nashville, TN at Ryman Auditorium.

Review & Photography by Amber Bintliff

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Mayday Parade Live 6/1/25 The Strand Ballroom and Theatre, Providence RI | Photos + Review

June 23, 2025 Leave a comment

Mayday Parade marched their Three Cheers for 20 Years tour into Providence, RI on Sunday June 1st, for a night that can only best be described as a victory lap for the pop punk veterans. The band’s set worked double-duty for the evening, playing out as both a nostalgia-fueled anniversary trip and a showcase for their latest LP Sweet. Openers Like Roses, Grayscale and Microwave warmed everyone up for the main event effectively, seamlessly blending shades of emo, pop punk and alternative rock together and fitting perfectly with the headliner’s tone I was particularly impressed by Like Roses’ performance, one which was filled with an earnest vitality, not often seen by a first act on a bill. Yet once a quarter past 9 rolled around and Mayday Parade took the stage, the energy in The Strand Ballroom skyrocketed to new heights. From that moment on, there was rarely a moment where you wouldn’t hear the audience shouting and screaming back every lyric to Derek Sanders and Co., through the uplifting opener of “By The Way”, the heartstring-pulling fan-favorite ballad “Miserable at Best”, the surprisingly furious emo anthem “One of Them will Destroy the Other”, and everything else in between. While the set may have been kicked off with a throwback interview from nearly two decades back, it’s clear from the consistent connection between band and crowd that Mayday Parade has truly grown up with their audience, well beyond the scope of many of their mid-2000s Warped Tour contemporaries. If the response to Sunday’s celebration at The Strand is any indicator to the band’s lasting impression on the pop punk scene, you can certainly expect many others to keep on belting out every word at Mayday Parade shows for another 20 years (and beyond). Review courtesy of Brent McCann

Like Roses

Microwave
Grayscale
Mayday Parade
Photography courtesy of Amanda Spring

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Grayscale’s “The Umbra Tour” 2021 ft Young Culture, girlfriends and Cemetery Sun

December 22, 2021 Leave a comment

Pop punk. One of the most up-for-interpretation genres. You have a million pop punk bands, and not one of them will ever sound the same. It’s a genre that fits a wide definition, which makes so called ‘ pop punk ‘ shows a wonderful mixed basket of bands. Grayscale’s Umbra tour gave a show that had something for everyone. I made my way to Easton, PA, for one of the most amazing nights I’ve had in a long time.

I was immediately given an amazing welcome by the band Young Culture. Not only were they outstanding people, who were appreciative of every fan and photographer alike, but their music was some of the best I have heard in years. Their set was, in the best way, a throwback for me. I remember the Golden Era of pop punk bands from 2015-2017. Young Culture’s amazing sound fits right in with the likes of Neck Deep, The Story So Far, and State Champs. The entire band appeared to be having the time of their life, which helped the crowd get rowdy. The entire building danced, laughed, and sang along together. Good vibes are an understatement when it comes to Young Culture. 

Cemetery Sun was this beautiful experience that reminds me of bands like Badflower and Nothing, Nowhere. While it wasn’t exactly music to crowdsurf to, the entire crowd was mesmerized by this unique take on the genre. Along with the music getting the crowd ready for the night, every member of the band was a fantastic performer. This usually isn’t my type of band, but I was blown away by the dedication to their set, and fans. A friend I attended the show with was a first time listener, and he had nothing but good things to say. “ These are my favorite types of bands, and to be able to see one reach out to a broader audience was very exciting to me.”

My best way of describing the band Girlfriends is as if the most famous people you knew made music. Their sound is big, exciting, and sounds familiar even if you haven’t heard it. They blended a chart topping pop sound with a punk edge that makes the most mainstream and obscure listeners alike happy. Once again, a band full of unbelievably kind people. That’s the one thing I can stress about this tour. Every single artist on it is grateful, kind, and willing to connect with other people. It’s refreshing to see these connections after being away from each other for so long. 

The last time I had seen Grayscale before 2021 was way back when in 2017. Adornment was one of my favorite albums of all time, and they solidified themselves as one of my favorite bands with the release of Nella Vita. Umbra was a release I had looked forward to since they announced it, and it was everything I wanted. With emotional, beautiful composition, and vibe you can’t help but dance to, Umbra is easily my album of the year. I was excited to see how that translated to a live show, and I was not let down. For a band who’s music isn’t exactly rowdy, Grayscale can move a crowd like no one I’ve ever see. Crowdsurfers we’re flying through the air during songs I wouldn’t think would be appropriate, but it all made sense in the end. The entire band sounds almost as perfect as they do on record while playing live. I cannot stress Colin Walsh’s vocal talent enough, but it was beyond perfect during a live show. They played their entire new album in full, playing their most popular older hits as the encore. They were an absolute delight to talk to after the show, and absolutely one of my favorite bands I’ve ever taken photos of. 

Every band on this bill is incredible, and they show their passion every night when they play.

Photos + review by Emily Sulkowski

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Grayscale’s Nella Vita Tour 2019 ft Bearings, Belmont, & Rich People.

October 19, 2019 Leave a comment

Grayscale are a band that have been on my radar for quite a while now. I first became a fan right when they signed to Fearless Records and released their single “Atlantic,” the lead single of their debut LP, “Adornment.” Since then, the band have been on numerous national and international tours, including the 2018 Vans Warped Tour, and this year, they did their first headlining tour here in the United States, in support of their newly released sophomore album, “Nella Vita.”

Opening up the night was New Jersey based Rich People. Three of the songs that the band played (“Fierce Grace,” “White Mark,” and one of my personal favorites of theirs, “Back Step (All The Real Girls”) are off of their most recent release, their 2018 album “Grace Session.” I love the raw emotion in this band’s music, but that is amplified even more in their live performance, which really impressed me.

Second on the bill was Canada based pop punk band Bearings. They primarily played songs off of their debut album, “Blue In The Dark,” such as “Where You Are,” “Aforementioned,” “Eyes Closed,” “Beautiful Places,” and the title track from that album. The band also included “So Damn Wrong” (one of their two recently released singles) and “Letters Home” from their third EP “Nothing Here Is Permanent.” Bearings brought quite a bit of energy throughout their whole set and were a lot of fun to watch.

Second to last was the Chicago based band Belmont, another pop punk band that have now become label-mates with Bearings, with their recent signing to Pure Noise Records. Belmont’s music leans more towards the more energetic and overall more punk influenced side of the pop punk genre, and they carried that energy into their live performance from start to finish as they played many songs from their self titled record (“Pushing Daisies,” “Hollowed Out”) as well as a few older favorites, such as “Overstepping,” “731” and “Convalescence.”

Finishing out the night was Philadelphia based band Grayscale, who have evolved their sound quite a lot over the years, and especially with their sophomore LP “Nella Vita,” which this tour was in support of. They played a handful of songs from that album, including singles “In Violet,” “Painkiller Weather,” “Old Friends” and “Baby Blue,” as well as a few others off of the album: “Just Right,” “YOUNG,” and “Twilight: My Heaven.” Grayscale have quickly become one of my favorite bands to see live and have impressed me each time I’ve seen them, and this show was no different.

 

Grayscale put on yet another impressive performance, I got to see Belmont, Bearings, and Rich People for the first time (and all their sets were a great first impression of their live performances), and overall, the Nella Vita tour may just be one of my favorites that I’ve attended in 2019 so far.

9/24/19 – Marquis Theater

Photos + Review courtesy of Megan Langley | Instagram

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