Hollerado Plays Last NYC Show
Over the last 13+ years, Ontario's Hollerado have been creating music and touring the world together. Sadly, earlier this year, the band announced that they were going to be retiring and moving on to other projects. What's a band to do when they announce the end? Release a new album - Retaliation Vacation, on the band's own Royal Mountain Records - before embarking on a final tour, of course! Hollerado played their last ever New York City show on November 6, headlining Williamsburg's Baby's All Right and taking friends Mythless and Luna Li along too.
The night was filled with jokes, banter, impromptu therapy sessions from friends in the crowd, and of course the songs that everyone came out to dance to. Fans traveled from far and wide - one person flew in from Texas for what would be both his first and last time seeing Hollerado, and it was a bittersweet night as we said goodbye to the band that had treated us so well for so many years. Singer Menno Versteeg reminisced fondly about the band's many adventures to NYC, even telling us about the time his friend accidentally left him out on the roof in mid-February all night- not exactly something to be recommended. At one point during the set Versteeg broke a string on his guitar and called on Sum 41's Tom Thacker to save the day. Thacker loaned him a guitar that was quite different to his own, much to his amusement (what do all of those buttons and switches do, anyway?) and periodically joined the guys on stage to play a couple of songs himself as well.
After the main set, it was time for what every fan expects when they go to a concert- the encore. Instead of leaving the stage, the Hollerado boys decided to hide behind their gear and peek out at the crowd instead, before reemerging to perform two more fan favorites. During the ever popular "Juliette," Versteeg jumped off stage and split the crowd in two so that the microphone cord could be used as a jump rope, inviting fans to give it a shot.
All in all, it was a heartwarming and incredibly fun show, as well as a bit sad when it came to a close. But while Hollerado's journey may be coming to an end, the memories and music will live on forever. Be sure to catch them while they're still on the road, and join the party. Their last show will be in Toronto on December 13, so act fast, and help them go out with a bang.
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