Our Most Anticipated Acts At This Year's When We Were Young Festival
When We Were Young is set to kick off its third annual edition of the festival, with headlining slots from My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy rounding out the day. This year’s version of the festival is unique, as nearly every band on the bill will be playing an iconic album from their discography from start to finish. Some bands have been doing this throughout the year already (Say Anything, for example, has been on tour performing …Is A Real Boy from start to finish each night), while some bands are dusting off material for the first time in nearly a decade (Cobra Starship). Below, you can find our top 10 most anticipated performances of this year’s festival.
My Chemical Romance
Does it really need to be said? The Black Parade in its entirety? Without a doubt, this is perhaps the most highly anticipated performance of the entire day. The band supported the release of the iconic 2006 by performing it from start to finish, every night for nearly six months. The band nearly vowed that they didn’t think they would play the entire album live ever again. But opinions and ideas change over time, and it’s clear that fans are going to be in for a once-in-a-lifetime performance from the New Jersey four-piece.
Fall Out Boy
The Chicago four-piece act is one of the few artists on the bill that won’t be doing a full-album playthrough. But never fear - with an almost-flawless discography, Fall Out Boy has always been known to deliver stunning hit-filled sets, never being afraid to dip into their back catalog of fan-favorite deeper cuts (do you think there’s a chance we’ll all be singing “Get Busy Living Or Get Busy Dying?”). Lately, the band has been doing their own version of the “Eras Tour”, performing songs starting at Take This To You Grave, all the way to their latest smash album So Much (For) Stardust. Whatever they have up their sleeves, it’s sure to be epic.
A Day To Remember
There are so few albums that defined a generation as Homesick, bringing together kids across the metalcore and pop-punk borders to mosh, scream, and sing their hearts out as Ocala’s A Day To Remember took on the world and defied genre expectations. While it’s now considered cliche to be “writing songs about being on the road”, no one has done it better than ADTR and Homesick. We’re getting chills thinking about the opening to “The Downfall Of Us All” being screamed back at the band by 50,000 people as the sun goes down. From top to bottom, this is going to be a performance to remember.
Cartel
Most bands work tirelessly to create an album that stands out amongst the best in their respective genre. It can take years to achieve this feat. Cartel managed to do it with just one record: 2005’s Chroma. Armed with some of the best guitar tones to ever come out of a pop-punk album, stellar songwriting, and a vocal delivery for the ages from frontman Will Pugh, there’s no doubt in our minds that we’ll see you around during their morning set where they’ll perform every song from the classic record.
Hey Monday
Sometimes, a band’s starpower burns so bright that it fades too quickly. Hey Monday were easily on the verge of becoming one of the biggest alternative-pop-punk acts in the scene, fronted by the incomparable Cassadee Pope, before announcing an indefinite hiatus in 2011. With only one album (Hold on Tight) and an EP (Beneath It All) under their belt, Hey Monday are going to take the stage and prove to everyone that they’ve been missing out on one of the best rising acts in rock these past thirteen years.
We Are The In Crowd
After announcing a hiatus in February 2016, the members of We Are The In Crowd ventured down different paths in music. Then, in 2021, the band reunited for a performance at Slam Dunk Festival. The hunger for the band was still there, and they have cemented their legacy as a fantastic group of songwriters in the scene since 2010’s Guaranteed to Disagree EP. This time around, the band will be performing their pop and indie-laced album Weird Kids.
Cobra Starship
To our delight, Gabe Saporta has been on a kick with reuniting his older musical projects. Midtown reunited for a handful of shows in 2022, including performances at Riot Fest and an opening spot on My Chemical Romance’s world tour. But when news that Saporta’s electro-pop-rock act Cobra Starship would possibly be reuniting, the Internet went into a frenzy. We all remember the days of wearing purple American Apparel hoodies over our Glamour Kills tees while listening to songs about partying at the end of the world and making good girls go bad. Saporta, keytar/keyboardist Victoria Asher, and drummer Nate Novarro will be bringing their sophomore album, !Viva La Cobra!, to life on the aptly named Purple Stage. But of course, no Cobra show is complete without a performance of “Bring It (Snakes On A Plane)”. Will William Beckett and Travis McCoy be there? Either way, Fangs Up!
Alesana
The six-piece post-hardcore act from Raleigh, North Carolina have always been a sight to be hold. Every one of their members goes batshit crazy as they plow through metalcore riffs, with screamer Dennis Lee screeching out lyrics like a madman while trading off with the cleanest of vocals from guitarist Shawn Milke. They don’t tour as much as they used to, and the opening track from concept album The Emptiness, “Curse of the Virgin Canvas” is sure to wake up everyone within earshot of entering the festival grounds at 11 AM. Get ready.
The Wonder Years
It seems impossible for a band like The Wonder Years to release a band album. Year after year, they manage to up their game with immaculate songwriting and some of the best performances to grace festival stages. A few years back, they completed a tour where they performed The Upsides and Suburbia I’ve Given You All And Now I’m Nothing from start to finish each night. This time around, they will be playing the final album in that unofficial trilogy, The Greatest Generation, an outstanding record that toes the line between traditional emo and adrenaline-fueled pop-punk
Chiodos
We didn’t ever think this would happen, but here it is: Chiodos - or, a variation of the Chiodos lineup - will be performing All’s Well That Ends Well in its entirety. Details are still unclear as to who will officially be rounding out the lineup aside from vocalist Craig Owens, as former keyboardist Bradley Bell confirmed that original members would not be at the performance. While that’s a bummer to hear, there’s no doubt in our minds that it will still be incredible to hear “screamo” anthems like “Baby, You Wouldn’t Last A Minute On The Creek” and “The Words ‘Best Friend’ Become Redefined” for the first time in over a decade. Owens has a knack for delivering immaculate performances, so we’re sure that we’re in good hands.
The Devil Wears Prada
File this under: “Albums We Never Thought We’d Hear Live Again”. The Devil Wears Prada has stated that one of the things they severely dislike is their older material - it’s always a surprise to see a live show nowadays and hear the guttural opening guitar riffs of “Dogs Can Grow Bears All Over”. But yes, you’re reading this correctly: Prada will be playing Plagues from front to back on Saturday and Sunday. While the only members from that album cycle remaining in the band are vocalist Mike Hranica and vocalist/guitarist Jeremy DePoyster, they have built up an incredible new lineup of musicians that have been killing it live and in the studio for the last several years. Give the promoter a raise for making this one happening. We’ll be throwing down to “Reptar, King of the Ozones” epic breakdown.
