Photo by Acacia Evans
There is no doubt that Yellowcard has made a momentous return, and the band shows no signs of slowing down.
On the heels of an EP and a massive U.S. headlining tour last summer, the pop punk legends are further cementing their comeback by embarking on yet another run, this time in support of their peers in Third Eye Blind for their Summer Gods tour.
Third Eye Blind and Yellowcard are pop punk gods indeed, with the former enjoying a successful career of just over 30 years. Their self-titled debut, led by their Top 10 singles “Semi-Charmed Life,” “Jumper,” and “How’s It Going to Be,” is considered one of the most influential alternative records of the 1990’s, and in 2001, the album was certified 6x platinum in the United States.
Yellowcard has quite a different story. Formed in 1997, they put themselves on the map in 2003 with their eventual double-platinum record Ocean Avenue. The band was seemingly put to rest in 2017 after a total of ten studio albums and moderate success, but in September 2022, Yellowcard reunited in Chicago at Riot Fest, something that not even the band thought would happen. What followed would be arguably the biggest tour of the band’s career–a star-studded 20th anniversary tour for Ocean Avenue, with support from Mayday Parade, Story of the Year, This Wild Life, and Anberlin. In the midst of that tour, their EP and first body of work in seven years, Childhood Eyes was released in July.
Shortly after the tour ended, it was uncertain exactly where the band would be headed next, if they were going anywhere else at all. However, in January 2024, during a memorable performance and interview on Good Morning America, Yellowcard announced a collaboration album with neoclassical and post-rock ambient group Hammock titled A Hopeful Sign. The record is a reworking of nine of Yellowcard’s most iconic songs. According to a press release posted alongside the album reveal on February 9th, 2024, the album revamps the songs with “a delicate and ambient feel.” They are not remixes, and the process was entirely remote. Vocalist William Ryan Key re-recorded his vocals and piano track in his home before sending them over to Hammock, who then reworked the chord progressions to give the songs a more cinematic aura. “Only One,” for example, is transformed from a pop-punk, emo anthem to a piano ballad, giving listeners an all-new feeling to an already tragic song.
“It is such an honor to have worked on ‘A Hopeful Sign’ with such talented humans, and this record will be something we cherish forever,” says Key.
It has seemed that in the last year, the band has been cautiously optimistic for this reunion, but with their legacy comes an absolute freedom to try new things without a rush for new material. Yellowcard is certainly taking advantage of that. Now, in opening for Third Eye Blind, it seems they have reached a level of comfort in reflecting on their past, continuing to perform with more than 20 years behind them, and taking the future one day at a time. For now, Yellowcard is here to stay.
The Summer Gods tour begins in Spokane, WA, on June 8th and trek through the United States before concluding in Woodlands, TX, on August 3rd. Joining the pop punk veterans on this tour is Arizona, a pop rock and electro pop band (ironically) from New Jersey.
TOUR DATES
With Third Eye Blind and ARIZONA
June 8 – Airway Heights, WA at BECU Live at Northern Quest
June 9 – Nampa, ID at Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater
June 13 – Seattle, WA at WAMU Theater
June 14 – Bend, OR at Hayden Homes Amphitheater
June 15 – Mountain View, CA at Shoreline Amphitheatre
June 20 – Los Angeles, CA at Greek Theatre
June 21 – Chula Vista, CA at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
June 22 – Las Vegas, NV at Fontainebleau Las Vegas
June 25 – West Valley City, UT at USANA Amphitheatre
June 26 – Morrison, CO at Red Rocks Amphitheatre
June 28 – Chicago, IL at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
June 29 – St. Louis, MO at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis
June 30 – Franklin, TN at FirstBank Amphitheater
July 2 – Cincinnati, OH at Riverbend Music Center
July 3 – Buffalo, NY at Darien Lake Amphitheater
July 5 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH at Blossom Music Center
July 6 – Noblesville, IN at Ruoff Music Center
July 7 – Clarkston, MI at Pine Knob Music Theatre
July 9 – Burgettstown, PA at The Pavilion at Star Lake
July 11 – Gilford, NH at BankNH Pavilion
July 12 – Camden, NJ at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
July 13 – Mansfield, MA at Xfinity Center
July 14 – Holmdel, NJ at PNC Bank Arts Center
July 16 – Saratoga Springs, NY at Broadview Stage at SPAC
July 18 – Wantagh, NY at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
July 19 – Columbia, MD at Merriweather Post Pavilion
July 20 – Virginia Beach, VA at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
July 21 – Raleigh, NC at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
July 23 – Charlotte, NC at PNC Music Pavilion
July 25 – Tampa, FL at MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
July 26 – Jacksonville, FL at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
July 27 – Alpharetta, GA at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
July 28 – Birmingham, AL at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
July 31 – Rogers, AR at Walmart AMP
August 1 – Dallas, TX at Dos Equis Pavilion
August 2 – Austin, TX at Germania Insurance Amphitheater
August 3 – Houston, TX at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Ticket information and more at Yellowcardband.com
