Sunny Day Real Estate at The Studio at The Factory

The 2022 edition of Sunny Day Estate has begun this new chapter in an improbably good place. They’re middle-aged statesmen of a genre now celebrated with massive festivals such as Chicago’s Riot Fest and Las Vegas’ When We Were Young, and are capable of selling 1,500 tickets on a weeknight at a theme park-adjacent venue like Orlando’s House of Blues. “It makes me so happy to see how our legacy has aged nicely,” says Hoerner, who was particularly chuffed to see members of Sleater-Kinney, My Chemical Romance, and Circa Survive watching Sunny Day from side stage at Riot Fest. “I also love to see young people out there. There were so many of them in the crowd at Riot Fest, and they were singing every word. How? We haven’t even played a show in 12 years. It’s mind-blowing.” This trend continued once Sunny Day took the stage in Orlando, with tattooed, pink-and-blue haired, gender-non-specific 20-somethings who weren’t even born when Diary was released screaming the lyrics at ear-piercing volume, some even wiping away tears. Enigk had lost his voice four days earlier after a show in Detroit, forcing the band to postpone and reschedule two dates, but he was in fine form at the House of Blues. Hoerner was in awe of Enigk’s ability to “deliver a controlled performance when his voice was so tender because so much of Sunny Day is absolutely losing your fucking mind.” “It’s so cool to see you guys so happy and smiling,” Enigk said from the stage, his yearning, soul-penetrating voice only slightly deepened over time. “It’s heartwarming.”

– spin.com