Rewind a year to a year ago, I caught this band's hour slot on Friday of Riot Fest. The lead singer, Parker Cannon, had such an unbelievable vocal range and presence that couldn't be ignored. Each song in their set built onto the next, and for a first time listen and viewing, this band had something special. Since that first viewing, I've listened to all of their albums, non-stop. The end of 2017 and into 2018 has been a pop-punk, and punk rock revival for me – and rightfully so: I have no shame admitting it. With such a twist in music scenes, it's funny how it brings different people back into your life – including an old, and dear hockey teammate of mine who went with me last week to see this California-based band.

"Proper Dose" is The Story So Far's fifth studio album, which takes a bit of a softer tone, but holds their original grit and heavier elements (in doses…see what I did there?). Now, take this album and put it with the other four, and you have a killer setlist unlike any other pop-punk band, except for maybe Good Charlotte, Sum 41 or All Time Low…just kidding – maybe.

This was a sold out show, and by sold out, I mean sold out in minutes from when it went live to the public. Here's a pro-tip for all of you Spotify users out there, listen to your favorite artists, and try to discover more, you'll reap the benefits of pre-sale tickets – as I did for these guys. Pre-sale tickets, a best friend at your side, and balcony seats – it does not get much better than that for an evening of four rock bands.

My curiosities got the best of me, and I had to see what they were opening with for this tour. My hopes were fulfilled as "Proper Dose" was the lead-off track. It's a song that sets the bar for the night and lets the crowd get amplified to an exponential level of energy, which was easily seen from the balcony view. From the first track on, they diversified and spread out the track selections, with plenty of sing-along songs, to the point that the audience could easily give chorus relief and harmonization. The crowd swayed and crowd surfed while screaming and singing along to every word, which is something I haven't witnessed since Alice In Chains at The Riviera, back in May.

Cannon rocked a sandy-brown parka coat, of Oasis style, and maintained an interesting "cool" unlike his Riot Fest shirtless energy and fist pumping. His face, along with his bandmates all contained smiles and excitement as they are loving this tour and what it brings to their fans. Before the encore, Cannon mentioned "time flies when you're having fun," and this was indicative of the evening everyone experienced at the Metro. It was fun, it was rocky, energetic, and most importantly it was real.

For all of you rock and punk lovers out there, maybe it is time to dust off the crates and dig into those older throwbacks. A band like The Story So Far emulates a lot of the teen punk-pop, but with a modern-day twist that's undeniably good. Their music does NOT leave an "empty space."