Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Somewhere around when Hot Topic ruled the mall, cellphones had yet to become smart and social networking was basically MySpace, Yellowcard made a gigantic splash in the pop/punk scene, taking the “Ocean Avenue” album in particular towards platinum sales.

Though the band broke up in 2017, it was Chicago’s very own Riot Fest who sparked the seeds of a reunion five years later, which went so well in attracting audiences from all around the globe, an entire tour was mounted to mark not only the 20th anniversary of that very album, but a brand new EP called “Childhood Eyes.”

Interestingly enough, Yellowcard packed Huntington Bank Pavilion, leading a stacked bill of Mayday Parade, Story Of The Year and starting with This Wild Life, though front man Ryan Key was the first to admit his surprise after typically headlining House Of Blues.

As an entire generation of fans grew up, the group’s legend has apparently grown all the more, which following 90 non-stop minutes from the jump of “Way Away,” came down to connective choruses, emotional lyrics, power chords galore and the advantage of it all being accompanied by the genre’s welcome anomaly of a violin.

Yellowcard cruised through “Breathing,” “Lights And Sounds,” “Rough Landing, Holly,” amongst others, prior to “Hang You Up,” recast as a duet with Derek Sanders from Mayday Parade, who turned in an explosive retrospective set of its own.

Key also gave a shout-out to the other support acts, even joking how Yellowcard and Story Of The Year used to tease each other since the latter had the similarly-titled smash album, “Page Avenue,” which was on ample display earlier in the evening, alongside SOTY’s current adrenaline rush, “Tear Me To Pieces.”

When it came to introducing the headliners’ recent title track, the front man assured everyone they were officially back to full-time status and kept demonstrating those renewed chops throughout “Light Up The Sky,” “Always Summer,” “Awakening” and “Back Home.”

An encore of “With You Around,” “Only One” and “Ocean Avenue” found a few mosh pits busting out, fists flying into the air and the assurance that Yellowcard was more than merely a moment, but have officially passed the test of time.

For additional information on Yellowcard, Mayday Parade and Story Of The Year, visit YellowcardBand.com, MaydayParade.com and StoryOfTheYear.net.

Upcoming concert highlights at Huntington Bank Pavilion At Northerly Island include Sad Summer Fest (Jul. 21); Slightly Stoopid and Sublime With Rome (Jul. 28); Q101 Piqniq (Jul. 30); Ghost (Aug. 15); Goo Goo Dolls (Aug. 22); 5 Seconds Of Summer (Aug. 23); Dominic Fike (Aug. 24); Beck and Phoenix (Aug. 31); Duran Duran (Sept. 1) and Hozier (Sept. 12). For additional details, visit LiveNation.com.

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