Pop punk, emo, screamo, indie — no matter what label you proudly wore in the 2000s, all were united yet again at the third year of When We Were Young Festival in Las Vegas. With 5 stages and 60+ bands, the options were endless (actually they were quite conflicting, but in the best way).
Nestled toward the end of the Las Vegas Strip at the official festival grounds, WWWY brought together nostalgic headliners from the 2000s and 2010s — fans revelled in the chance to hear albums that were the soundtrack to their teenage years. Conversations and stories sparked with memories of these bands and albums, made this weekend an emotional and surreal experience for many who still hold these artists close to their hearts decades later.
Aside from the live music, WWWY was sprawling with impressive photo op areas filled with throwback decor in vibrant colors as well as their signature inflatables and newly added “album blocks” upon entry just past the iconic festival arch. Black umbrellas lined the shaded cool-down area, nodding to the headliners My Chemical Romance’s The Black Parade, which was the final play-through scheduled for each night. The endless food options were a perfect blend of anything you could want for all dietary preferences, vegan included — from pizza to tacos to teriyaki noodle bowls to ice cream and so much more. I was impressed with the variety of local and national options as well. Shake Shack, Dave’s Hot Chicken, Boba Bear and Potato Hut were some delicious recommendations for next year.
Saturday afternoon’s sets delivered early 2000s screamo, emo and late 2000s pop punk: Dashboard Confessional, Mayday Parade, We The Kings, Neck Deep, State Champs and of course Underoath. With frontman Spencer Chamberlain tearing up the stage, Underoath’s highly anticipated performance of their album They’re Only Chasing Safety was a huge home run — especially considering how early in the day they played.
State Champs had the Verizon Stage rumbling with powerful pop punk riffs and drums. The late-2000s pop punk icons are notorious for an energetic performance and surely they did not disappoint. Dashboard Confessional turned down a notch or two, bringing out the emo in all of us with their sappiest hits like “Hands Down” and “Vindicated” pulling on everyone’s heartstrings (as expected). Mayday Parade and We The Kings lit up two separate stages, transporting everyone back to the late 2000s.
Shortly following We The Kings were 3OH!3 — with a cult-like following, I don’t think I’ve seen a crowd at a non-mainstage so big in all 3 years of WWWY. Fans flooded the Ghost Stage to catch this dynamic duo, aka Sean and Nate, to the huge sea of OG fans who rushed the area. Hearing their album WANT from front to back felt like a real-life time travel moment. These two have an unstoppable aura that radiates a let-loose attitude — no one quite compares to 3OH!3 and looking at this turnout, it’s evident we’re all still rocking with them.
Another artist creating a ton of buzz was Cobra Starship. The electronica-pop-rockers fronted by Gabe Saporta (also singer of Midtown) and Vicky T, performed a shortened run through of ¡Viva la Cobra! with a few extra hits including their mega-famous “Snakes On A Plane,” “Good Girls Go Bad,” and “You Make Me Feel.” Fans were also surprised with an onstage appearance from Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump during “Kiss My Sass.” The band stayed true to their “Snakes On A Plane” aesthetic with a Cobra Airlines theme for the stage design and wardrobe choices.
Any true pop punker knows Simple Plan might be the ultimate live performance veterans of the scene from the moment they emerged onto the pop punk radar in 1999. Holding the second highest most-performed artist across all Warped Tours, it’s no surprise this is also the 3rd year in a row for their WWWY appearance. Honestly, if we didn’t see Simple Plan on the lineup, we’d be shocked (and worried). The band banged out a melodic mash up of their hits from No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls — including their smash hits “Addicted” and “I’d Do Anything” as well as their recently viral hit “I’m Just A Kid” (20 years after it’s original release!) The energy is always top notch and the atmosphere with their fans always feels pleasant, fun and care-free. The band shot out confetti and squeezed in their “What’s New Scooby Doo?” cover while a group of Scooby Doos flooded the stage. Drummer Chuck Comeau never fails to jump in the audience and crowdsurf his way around at every show, getting up close and personal with fans — and WWWY was no exception, as he did just that. Simple Plan are a special staple in the pop punk culture and it’s easy to see why.
Philly natives The Starting Line brought out the best of us delivering hits like “The Best Of Me” and “Up & Go.” The band, fronted by Kenny Vasoli, are true east coast pop punkers who gained popularity on the earlier end of the scene’s explosion. This set brought back many memories for me personally as a pop punk fan who was born and raised in Philly as well. They performed with all smiles on deck radiating from both the crowd and the band members themselves.
As the sun slowly dipped below the Vegas skyline, we were treated to performances by The Used, Jimmy Eat World, Pierce The Veil, New Found Glory, Hawthorne Heights and many more across all five stages. The Used delivered an incredible set playing a shuffled set of songs from In Love and Death. Complete with pyro and a eye-catching stage setup, this performance had some of the loudest screams we heard all night at the Pink Stage (with other contenders being Simple Plan and Fall Out Boy).
Jimmy Eat World was the perfect addition time-wise to the schedule. Myself, like many, used this time to decompress from the day’s hot summer sun and back-to-back performances. With a more subtle light design and mix of both upbeat (“Sweetness,” “The Middle”) and mellow tracks (“Hear You Me”) from Bleed American, Jimmy Eat World felt like the revival we needed to get us through the remainder of the night. We felt refreshed, relaxed and could sense the unity of the now-massive crowd singing along to every track.
Pierce The Veil gave us an explosive set from the moment they stepped on the stage with onstage fireworks and cryo. Their performance energy was maxed out — full of jumps, stage runs and plenty of crowd interaction. After last year’s earlier performance, I was happy to see them with a slot later in the day. I truly did not realize just how big their fan base was until I was watching their set. Fans were in tears, screaming so loudly that I could barely hear Vic’s lyrics at times. That all intensified as the band brought out Kellin Quinn from Sleeping With Sirens to perform their collaborative hit song, “King For A Day.” Pierce The Veil have certainly made a name for themselves and earned a place in this scene.
A Day To Remember absolutely stunned with an immersive stage design as well as confetti, cryo and giant beach balls branded with the band name across them. Kicking off their set with the iconic “The Downfall Of Us All” set the crowd off into a frenzy. This set in particular felt like a huge oldskool Warped party as rolls of toilet paper began flying through the air. Fans desperately tried to hold onto the giant beach balls, deflating them in hopes to bring home a keepsake from this incredible moment.
One of the few bands who had full reign over their set was Fall Out Boy — though I would not have complained about a From Under The Cork Tree play-through. Performing selects from their entire catalog, their set hit on each era and album of the band’s career. Complete with firecrackers, pyro and a firework show at the end, Fall Out Boy served us up a show as big as we expected, if not bigger. Inflatable bears marked the stage for songs off Folie à Deux, while a volcano and fire show illuminated the songs from Save Rock and Roll. Fall Out Boy surprised us with a guest appearance by Wiz Khalifa as they performed “See You Again” together. This was a nostalgic moment for many who attended The Boys of Zummer Tour almost 10 years ago, which featured Wiz himself as a co-headliner. This set had fans from all corners of the festival captivated from start to finish.
While some fans were determined to see Nada Surf, Pretty Girls Make Graves, and Escape The Fate, most (as expected) gathered at the Purple Stage for My Chemical Romance’s front-to-back of The Black Parade. The band’s minimalist stage setup consisted of a 3-sided white backdrop while the band dressed in black, creating a simple yet bold look. Complete with violinists for “Cancer” and “Mama,” this performance hit us all right in the soul. Some of these tracks hadn’t been played live in almost two decades — shortly after its initial release. Fans were drowning in happiness, tears, and awe. Makeup ran down the faces of fans both young and old. The performance felt like a farewell, though we hate to admit it, considering My Chemical Romance has been truly such a large piece of most everyone’s life.
As the epic night wrapped, GHOST was giving out free hydration drinks as we exited the grounds, which was the perfect send-off for a bunch of 30 and 40 somethings who may or may not have forgotten to properly hydrate throughout the day. Overall, WWWY 2024 was one for the books — the crowd was much bigger at an earlier time, proving that the scene is alive and thriving decades later. We’re already thinking about next year… see ya there!
GALLERY: When We Were Young Festival in Las Vegas (October 19, 2024)
