REVIEW BY DAVID TAYLOR AND PHOTOS BY REAGAN JOHNSON | Go Venue Magazine
Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraksa was the place to be on Halloween night, October 31, 2025, because pop punk bands A Day to Remember and Yellowcard made their triumphant return to the Cornhusker State. Many people were dressed up in costumes, making it fun for some people watching.
The Wonder Years from Philadelphia opened up the concert. This pop punk act really knew how to get the crowd warmed up. For a band that’s been around for twenty years, they had a youthful energy to them. This wasn’t their first time opening an arena show for A Day to Remember in Lincoln, as they had done it at the Pershing Center (RIP) back in 2013. Lead singer Dan Campbell gave these talks in between songs, thanking the audience whether they liked them or not for giving them a chance. Also, towards the end of their set, Dan left the crowd with three things: “protect trans youth, end ICE, and free Palestine.” I wish more musicians were as outspoken about these issues, especially when performing in front of thousands of people. I hope we get some new material from them soon.
Yellowcard from Jacksonville, FL was next up. It was a bummer when they called it quits back in 2017. Then a couple of years ago, they reunited to play some festival dates, which eventually led to recording a new album of material, Better Days. Before they went onstage, they had their crew dressed up in Ghostbusters costumes, shooting t-shirts out of a t-shirt cannon while the Ray Parker Jr. song was playing, getting the audience hyped for them. It was a very nostalgic set, with the music from the early 2000s and also playing audio clips from 1980s movies like Back to the Future and The Karate Kid. They start their set playing the Top Gun Theme, which was unique and cool. Mind you, they are doing this while a giant tape is onstage as the drum riser. Lead singer Ryan Key still sounds as good as he did in 2003. Violinist Sean Macklin looked like he was having a blast onstage. Once they started “Ocean Avenue”, it felt like we were all transported to the summers of our youth, without a care in the world. I’m so glad Yellowcard is back for good, and I hope they come back to the area soon.
Finally, we were ready for the Ocala, Florida boys, A Day to Remember. They were the band of the night that really embraced Halloween, with most of the members in costume (Neil Westfall as Andrew WK, Alex Shelnutt as Freddie Mercury, and Kevin Skaff as Kevin the Minion). Every time I’ve seen A Day to Remember, it has always been one of the most fun sets an artist has put on. The crowd always has a fun time hearing their favorite songs being played live. I love it when a band plays an arena and brings pyro on tour with them, and that’s what they and even Yellowcard did. It means they are maximizing their set to the highest level. They did this thing during the middle of their set during the song, “LeBron”, where they brought out these basketball hoops on the left and right sides of the stage and had these inflatable balls for the crowd on the floor to shoot to see which side had the most baskets, which looked like the right side. This was one of my favorite concerts of the year, despite there not being a ton of people, more people on the floor, it seemed, than in the lower bowl. I’m glad A Day to Remember can still bring it live after all these years. Check out their latest album, Big Ole Album Vol. 1.
A Day To Remember
Yellowcard
The Wonder Years
Follow our socials, only take a second and is free by finding us on:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | BlueSky
