It was loud. If you were anywhere near a stadium in Australia or New Zealand back in late 2015, you probably remember the ringing in your ears. The "Big Ass Tour" wasn't just a catchy, slightly crude name; it was a massive cultural collision. We’re talking about The Amity Affliction and A Day To Remember co-headlining a run that basically defined the post-hardcore and metalcore scene for a generation of fans down under.
People still hunt for that big ass tour set list because it represents a specific peak. It was that moment when the "warped tour" sound moved from small clubs into massive arenas. Honestly, looking back at the tracklists now, it’s a miracle anyone had a voice left the next morning. It wasn't just about the music; it was about the shared sweat of thousands of people screaming "Pittsburgh" at the top of their lungs.
The Chaos of the Co-Headline Split
When you have two bands as big as ADTR and Amity sharing the top bill, the setlist becomes a political minefield. Who goes last? How many songs do they get? Usually, they swapped spots depending on the city, but the energy remained high regardless of the order.
The Amity Affliction were touring on the back of Let The Ocean Take Me, which is arguably their most iconic record. Joel Birch and Ahren Stringer had a chemistry during that tour that felt untouchable. Their portion of the big ass tour set list was heavy on the hits, but it also felt deeply personal. They opened with "Weight of the World," a track that immediately sets a somber but aggressive tone.
You’ve got to realize that for Australian fans, Amity is more than just a band. They are hometown heroes. Seeing them command an arena with songs like "Death’s Hand" felt like a victory lap. They didn't play a massive 20-song set, but they didn't need to. They packed about 11 or 12 tracks into a tight, high-intensity window.
A Day To Remember’s Pop-Punk Mastery
On the other side of the coin, A Day To Remember (ADTR) brought the Florida sunshine and a literal ton of confetti. Their setlist was a masterclass in pacing. They knew exactly when to break out the heavy breakdowns and when to let the crowd bounce to pop-punk anthems.
Jeremy McKinnon has this way of controlling a crowd that’s almost scary. When they kicked into "The Downfall of Us All," the entire floor transformed into a sea of jumping bodies. Their side of the big ass tour set list usually ran a bit longer than Amity’s, often hitting 14 or 15 songs because, frankly, they have too many "must-play" tracks.
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If you weren't there, you missed the beach balls. You missed the "O's" in "Right Back At It Again." But most importantly, you missed the transition from the brutal "2nd Sucks" into the acoustic singalong of "If It Means a Lot to You." That’s the ADTR formula. It’s jarring, it’s chaotic, and it works perfectly.
Why Motionless In White and The Ghost Inside Mattered
We can’t talk about the big ass tour set list without mentioning the supports. This tour was cursed and blessed at the same time. The Ghost Inside was originally supposed to be on this run. Then, the unthinkable happened—their tragic bus accident in November 2015.
It changed the whole vibe of the tour. It went from a standard rock show to a tribute. Motionless In White stepped up, and they brought a theatrical, gothic energy that the tour desperately needed. Chris Motionless is a presence, man. Their setlist focused heavily on Reincarnate, giving the Australian crowd a taste of that industrial-metal sound that was starting to explode.
Hands Like Houses also repped the local scene. They were the "cleaner" band on the bill, focusing on soaring vocals and technical musicianship. Their set was shorter, maybe six or seven songs, but it acted as the perfect "palate cleanser" before the heavier hitters took the stage.
The Breakdown of the Main Sets
If you're looking for the specific songs that made people lose their minds, here is basically how the nights flowed.
The Amity Affliction Core Tracks:
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- Weight of the World
- Death's Hand
- The Poison 7
- Never Alone
- The Weigh Down
- Pittsburgh
- Don't Lean on Me
A Day To Remember Heavy Hitters:
- The Downfall of Us All
- I'm Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of?
- 2nd Sucks
- Right Back at It Again
- City of Ocala
- All I Want
- If It Means a Lot to You
- The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle
The flow of these songs mattered. Amity usually closed with "Don't Lean on Me," a song that has become a literal lifeline for a lot of people struggling with mental health. It’s not just a song; it’s a moment of collective catharsis. ADTR, conversely, would end with "The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle," which is just pure, unadulterated energy. It’s the kind of song that makes you want to run through a brick wall.
The Production Value: More Than Just Music
You didn't just go to hear the big ass tour set list; you went to see the spectacle. This was the era of bands really leaning into the "experience." ADTR had people zorbing over the crowd. There were T-shirt cannons. There were visuals that actually looked like they cost more than a used Honda Civic.
For a lot of kids in Brisbane or Perth, this was the first time they saw "their" bands treated like rock stars. Usually, metalcore bands are stuck in sweaty clubs with no lights. This was different. This was the Big Ass Tour. It lived up to the name by being oversized in every possible way.
There’s a lot of debate about whether setlists should be static or change every night. On this tour, they stayed pretty consistent. When you have production cues—CO2 jets, fire, streamers—you can’t really "wing it." The bands had to be surgical. That might take away some of the "punk" feel for some people, but when you see a streamer cannon go off at the exact moment a breakdown hits, you don't care about "punk." You care about how awesome it looks.
Common Misconceptions About the Tour
One thing people get wrong is thinking The Ghost Inside actually played. They didn't. They were on the posters, and their name is forever linked to the tour, but the accident happened just weeks before the first date. It cast a shadow, but it also unified the fans. You saw TGI shirts everywhere. Every band on that big ass tour set list dedicated songs to them.
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Another misconception? That it was a "sell-out" move. Some older fans complained that the bands were becoming too "pop." But if you look at the setlists, the heavy stuff was still there. Amity didn't stop playing the screams. ADTR didn't stop the mosh pits. They just got better at writing hooks.
What We Can Learn From This Era of Touring
The Big Ass Tour was a blueprint. It showed that "niche" genres like metalcore could fill arenas if the lineup was right. It wasn't just about one big band and three nobodies. It was a "Monster Energy" fueled dream team.
The big ass tour set list worked because it balanced nostalgia with the "new." By 2015, Homesick by ADTR was already a classic, but they were also pushing Common Courtesy. Amity was at their commercial peak. It was a "lightning in a bottle" moment.
If you’re trying to recreate that vibe in your own playlists or even planning a local show, the takeaway is simple: diversity of sound within a genre keeps the energy alive. You can't just have 4 hours of blast beats. You need the "If It Means a Lot to You" moments to make the "2nd Sucks" moments feel even heavier.
How to Relive the Experience
While we can't go back to 2015, the music lives on. Most of these bands are still active, though the scene has shifted. Amity is still putting out heavy records, and ADTR is... well, ADTR.
To truly appreciate the big ass tour set list, you should:
- Check out the live videos: YouTube is full of shaky, high-pitched phone recordings from the Qantas Credit Union Arena or the Riverstage. They capture the atmosphere better than any studio recording.
- Make a "Chronological" Playlist: Put the songs in the order they were played. Start with the Motionless In White openers and end with the ADTR encore.
- Read the lyrics: This era of music was defined by "sad girl/boy" lyrics over heavy riffs. Understanding the emotional weight behind songs like "Pittsburgh" explains why the crowd was so invested.
- Support the survivors: The Ghost Inside made a miraculous comeback years later. Following their journey makes the context of the 2015 tour even more powerful.
The Big Ass Tour wasn't just a series of concerts; it was a snapshot of a subculture hitting the mainstream without losing its edge. It proved that you could have a "big ass" production and still have a "big ass" heart. Whether you were in the mosh pit or watching from the nosebleeds, that setlist is burned into the memories of everyone who was there. It remains a high-water mark for heavy music in the Southern Hemisphere, a loud, proud, and slightly chaotic reminder of why we love this music in the first place.