It is amazing how the times have changed. It seems like just yesterday I first heard that Ryan Key had left Craig's Brother and began a pop-punk band with a violin. I remember Yellowcard releasing an EP not long after that and gaining considerable success for a fledgling band on an indie label. Since then, Yellowcard has signed to Capitol Records, released a hit record, played Main Stage on the Warped Tour, received radio and television airtime, and toured extensively across the country. Yes, the times have changed.
Beyond Ocean Avenue is a DVD featuring over an hour of live footage from Yellowcard's sold out May 2004 show at Philadelphia's Electric Factory. The show was filmed very well, with a variety of camera angles, and captures the mood of a traditional Yellowcard show very nicely. Granted, those of you who are not big fans of live music and/or Yellowcard, will probably not get too much enjoyment out of this, but big fans of the band will probably get a few views out of this DVD before they tire of it. After the concert footage there is a half-hour documentary that chronicles the band's rise from an indie band to a mainstream success story. Some highlights of the film are a tour of Yellowcard's bus, looking for lost equipment before shows, and Ryan Key's spur-of-the-moment tattoo.
If you are a fan of Yellowcard, you will probably enjoy Beyond Ocean Avenue and get a lot out of the behind the scenes action both before shows and during the Warped Tour. Fans of Taking Back Sunday, New Found Glory, and other bands on the Warped Tour will also enjoy some of the cameos featured throughout the documentary. If you are not an avid fan of the band or of music DVDs in general, however, you will probably not be interested in Beyond Ocean Avenue, as it serves little more purpose than to give fans an intimate glimpse at what the band and their shows are like.
2.5/4
