Since it was my first time seeing All Time Low live, I can’t say whether this show was an all time high for the band, but it was pretty damn fun.
The stage set up looked straight out of MTV circa 2009, with stacks of speakers and amps decorated with pop punk graphics reminiscent of the All Time Low shirt I bought at Hot Topic around that time, which incidentally is how I discovered the band—I liked the tee, but didn’t want to be a poser, so naturally had to buy their album too.
After partying in the blazing sun for six straight hours, the audience couldn’t quite muster up the energy that frontman Alex Gaskarth was asking for in his repeated calls for “human participation.”
But while our knees may not have supported as much jumping as they could have during All Time Low’s peak era, us elder emos were still singing along, helped along by lyrics projected on the screen. And despite the fact that the sun was way too bright for much of an effect, everyone had their iPhone flashlights out for “Sleepwalking,” an emotional track released in 2020.
The audience members weren’t the only ones showing their age. The foursome is playing as a threesome this summer, with lead guitarist Jack Barakat down for the count due to nerve pain resulting from an injury. The band honoured him by playing his favourite song, “Lost in Stereo,” a true banger.
And despite a few grey hairs, they still sound just as good, if not better, as I remember them sounding on my iPod classic walking through the halls of my junior high school. As they played their closer, “Dear Maria Count Me In,” I was transported right back there (minus the severe bacne and unrequited pining for boys who hadn’t yet discovered deodorant).
