I love how much Kenny changed his style up every album cycle. I felt validated straightening my hair during the Based on a True Story era.
I’ll never forget when I first found out Kenny was the lead singer and not Matt, and this was after having the album for a minute
Yeah this album was a huge game changer for me too. Still think this album rules and it is always comes to my mind as a stand out from that era.
I remember my first exposure to them and this album was off of a little Drive Thru DVD sampler in '03. It had this original video of "Best of Me" along with videos for other bands I got into at the time like The Movielife. It also had a live performance of "Leaving" where Ian from NFG played bass. Man, I thought this video was so cool back in the day, but I cringe watching it now (I love how they overlaid the footage of the electric guitar being played over the intro that's obviously an acoustic). So glad they made a second one.
I wish I was around for The Starting Line’s career! They sound like a great band to have followed and get stoked about at the time. I jumped in right before my freshman year of university (2015), so while I still have nostalgia attached to their music, they’ve always been a classic band to me rather than contemporary
Never knew that version of Best Of Me existed above too. I’m so used to the classic Say Anything inspired version.
So weird, it was the opposite for me. I don’t think I even saw the Say Anything one until they were already in the BOATS era. Idk how that happened. My “canon” one was always the DDR one
Same for me actually. Started listening to them in late 2015 when I was heavily into modern pop punk and they kinda became my favourite band from that era. Also, I got to see them live in 2016 after binging their discography nonstop for months which is still so unreal to me.
I'm so glad I got to be there for the prime of their careers and saw them live in each era. I remember the hype around them before Say It Like You Mean It came out and it was huge for us DTR fanboys. Me and my friends went around blasting gregs last day and cheek to cheek the early versions. Then the album surpassed what everyone thought. Shame DTR flamed out/doesn't exist, they just collected really accessible but talented bands, though I don't know the full stories there were some weird stuff going on. Saw them in Jersey, the best time to see a band is when they don't see themselves as big yet but the crowd is nuts, knows every word and they realize holy crap we might be a real band now. Experienced that feeling with them and Senses Fail in Jersey. Singer holds the mic up or pauses singing and watches the crowd sing back in amazement instead of as part of expectation. Boats is great. Direction is one of my most consistent tops albums, wish it got more recognition. They put on a hell of a show and Kenny just comes off as a real awesome dude. No real drama around them that I know of. Hope they keep playing holiday shows in Philly.
Damn ya'll got me staying up past my bedtime to relisten to Direction. It's such a shame, Island should've been a huge single. 21 would've been a great follow up single too. Virgin really dropped the ball with this album.
I listened to it literally nonstop that summer. One of my favorite albums from that timeframe. Their best album.
Saw them co-headline (I think?) with Finch in 2002 (also I think?). The line up was Brand New, then Autopilot Off, then Finch and Starting Line closed. They played their Pop Goes Punk track, and it was a fun time.
I'm struggling to remember the first time I saw them. I know I saw them in 2004 at Roseland Ballroom in NYC opening for Yellowcard, but I feel like I had to have seen them before then. Urghhh where's my box of ticket stubs??
- 2005 Warped tour, two days in a row - 2005 Nintendo Fusion tour with Fall Out Boy, Motion City Soundtrack, Boys Night Out and Panic at the Disco - 2006 Screaming Is For Babies tour with Copeland, Cartel and Gatsbys American Dream - 2008 Bamboozle Left - 2016 Taste of Chaos
- Sum On Your Face tour w/ Sum 41 & No Use For A Name (2003) - Drive Thru Invasion w/ Home Grown, Allister, The Early November, Senses Fail (2003) - Warped (2005) - Screaming Is For Babies w/ Cartel, Copeland, Gatsby (2006) - Warped (2007) - Last Tour w/ Steel Train, Bayside, Four Year Strong (2008) - Bamboozle (2008) - Est. 1999 tour (2019)