It's been eight, long years since iconic Maryland pop-punks Good Charlotte did a lap around Australia, and after patiently biding their time, fans have headed out in droves for a night of nostalgia and new cuts alike.
The tour celebrates the release of their 2025 album, 'Motel Du Cap' – a tongue-in-cheek reference to the ultra-luxurious Hotel Du Cap in the South of France. These world-class rockers are set to blow the roof off of the fitting Brisbane Entertainment Centre (19 February).
To no surprise, fans are lined up for hundreds of metres to funnel through the gates in time for a star-studded line-up also consisting of Floridian and Melburnian (respectively) pop-punkers, Yellowcard and Kisschasy.
After an extended hiatus – we're talking 16 years between releases – Kisschasy returned to the Australian alternative scene with a successful run at Good Things 2023, followed by a national headline tour the following year.
With this success, the quartet have since released 'The Terrors Of Comfort' less than a week before embarking on this highly-anticipated tour. The 'Do-Do's And Whoah-Oh's' rockers delighted fans with a set list comprising classics from both 2005's 'United Paper People' and 2007's 'Hymns For The Non-believer', complementing some of their newer tracks.
Through kick thumps and snare cracks, the four piece emerge onstage with gusto and vigour as they commenced their confident and tight set. Tracks like 'Face Without A Name', 'Do-Do's And Whoah-Oh's', and 'Spray On Pants' have the eager crowd dancing and singing along.
In a short, but sweet set, Kisschasy remind many of us – myself included – of the undeniable catchiness and talent these local trendsetters have returned to after a well-earned break from the limelight, as they close out their performance with crowd favourite, 'Opinions Won't Keep You Warm At Night' to the pure delight of the ever-increasingly rowdy punters.
After falling off my personal radar for a number of years, Yellowcard are seemingly making themselves a home in Australia, returning twice in 12 months. Hell, they even suggested they may be back again before the end of this tour cycle.
Only seeing them in April of last year, it's a treat to see an act of this calibre and prowess defy the ongoing challenges of touring musicians and artists at all levels, to embark on the long trip from the US to Australia. In saying that, since their last visit, they have released another album, 'Better Days', their 11th studio record.
Yellowcard are notoriously tight, crisp and enthusiastic in everything they undertake, and this evening's performance is no exception to this high standard they've set for themselves.
In a moment of genuine appreciation, vocalist/ guitarist Ryan Key takes a brief moment to share their love and gratitude at an opportunity to share some of the biggest stages of their lives with their old friends, Good Charlotte.
An ongoing theme of this evening, nostalgia is at an all-time high as these superstars pepper their classics throughout their packed set list, but even treat the now incredibly energised punters to a near-debut of newly released track, 'Love Letters Lost'.
This new track is complemented with some niche sentimentality by way of visuals as the famous 'lofi beats to study/relax to' girl plays chopped up behind them; adding an additional element of fun and personality.
The guitar-forward (with a delicious sprinkling of strings by way of violin) act treat their fans to a barrage of tracks: 'Rough Landing, Holly', 'California', and one of my personal favourites, 'Lights And Sounds', soar with a choir of thousands in beautiful, disjointed unison.
Perched from my old-man seats, a beautiful moment was caught between a pair of lovers during 'California'; sharing a dance and pure moment of love and bliss. This smooth and unburdened embrace was a visual reminder of the impact that music can have, and left me feeling full of whimsy and warmth in others' joy.
The rest of their energised set delivered exactly what fans of this quartet have come to expect – high-energy, pop-punk sing-alongs supported with some exciting technicolour, intentionally distorted footage of the band delivering their individually-styled performances, with story-telling elements driving the primary LED screen.
'Better Days', the title track of their new record, cheekily featured some prime cuts of '80s films as the backdrop to the song that for a cinephile such as myself, was actually nearly distracting; but a fun and cheery highlight reel of days gone by, truly complementing the theme of the audio it supported.
Unsurprisingly, their thoroughly-enjoyable set ends with their biggest claim to fame; 'Ocean Avenue'. While we may not be lucky enough to see Yellowcard's return within the next 12 months (it really does seem like an ambitious target), fans who have slept on two recent opportunities to relive their sun-soaked teen years such as I have, only have themselves to blame for missing out.
The bleachers are packed, the moshpit is cramped, and the lights drop as the moment of anticipation reaches climax and the emo-rockers explode onstage for a high-energy delivery of a track I was surprised to see make the cut when considering their extensive catalogue to curate, 'The River'.
We're immediately treated to stage production of the calibre expected from international superstars, with pyrotechnics immediately exploding from the stage that is washed in bright strobes, a sea of red floodlights, and some exquisite visuals across not only the large LED screens behind and beside the stage, but also across the giant risers – where both drummer and extra guitarist/ keyboardist sit perched overlooking thousands of fans.
As a metalhead to my core, the opening track that the studio version includes guest features from Avenged Sevenfold's frontman M. Shadows and lead guitarist Synyster Gates, I feel incredibly seen, and am now rabid at what this 20-plus track set list has in store.
I had thought that in my old(er) age, maybe the mix of new and old tracks may miss the mark slightly. However, the Madden brothers and their bandmates know their crowd and what they want, delivering a monumental set list comprised of nearly-all classics, with some fantastic newer tracks thrown in for good measure.
There were several welcomed surprises throughout the evening, such as being treated to (what I believed to be a bit of an unsung hero to their catalogue) 'The Chronicles Of Life And Death' and 'Predictable', delighting my inner 13-year old's heart to no end. Hell, lead vocalist Benji Madden even paused to comment on the earlier being one of his personal favourites.
To say that both Benji and his identical twin Joel ooze swagger is a significant underselling of the facts. They – along with brothers-in-arms, Billy Martin (guitar) and Paul Thomas (bass) – move confidently, graciously and with surprising vigour for a band now into their fourth decade of performing.
While not treated to guitar spins and high-flying antics of some of their more extreme counterparts (in both the rock and metal scene, and pop alike), they command respect as they truly own the large BEC stage.
For artists of this calibre, to expect less than wholesome professionalism would be foolish. More than once, fans are treated to candid gratitude and reflection from this powerhouse as they speak about the deep love they've had for Australia since their first visit some 25 years ago.
As they rapidly move through their set list, there are more fan-favourite songs 'Like It's Her Birthday', which has the crowd singing (ok, screaming) at the top of their lungs; while the hip hop-influenced 'Keep Your Hands Off My Girl' has even the most stoic fan grooving and bouncing along as part of a unified sea of humans.
While a primarily upbeat, up-tempo set, there are more than ample moments where the rockers carefully and with calculation lower the tempo to bare their souls during equally-powerful moments such as 'Hold On'.
As 'The Young And The Hopeless' transitions into 'Little Things', 'I Just Wanna Live' (another absolute highlight to the evening for this reviewer), and 'Lifestyles Of The Rich & Famous', there are truly no stones left unturned in this world-class demonstration of what modern-rock legends should be delivering to their fans.
Before launching into the final track of the evening – unsurprisingly, 'The Anthem' – Benji takes a moment to share genuine gratitude to his Australian fans, thanking them for support from day one, before many others across the globe recognised their potential.
He shares that during their first international tour decades ago on Australian shores, while many others had yet to notice or realise the potential of Good Charlotte, Australia was already playing them on the radio.
For this day-one love, he thanks us for allowing him and his brother, and bandmates, the opportunity to live out their dream, buy their mum a house, and truly let what they love consume them.
As the confetti falls and the proverbial dust settles on a stellar evening, it's difficult to leave alongside the swarms of satiated fans without feeling there is a shared respect between art lover and artist.
Often, leaving legacy act performances such as this there is a small sense of dissatisfaction or 'I wish they'd played' on the mind. However, no such emotion exists tonight and I'd challenge anyone in the room to name what could've made it better.
