Show Review: The first Pop Punk Summer Camp battled fickle weather for fun, nostalgic event

A good portion of the Sad Summer Festival lineup took a scenic detour to Flagstaff on Sunday for the very first Pop Punk Summer Camp. Emo “campers” of all ages hiked into Pepsi Amphitheater for a full day of nostalgic tunes.

As attendees slowly started arriving, the lawn filled up with chairs and blankets while those in the pit crowded close to catch Cassadee Pope’s midafternoon set. The former Hey Monday singer is back to her pop punk roots and even pulled out some classics like “Homecoming” and- of course- “Arizona”. Her new album is a return to a familiar sound and fans in the front section of the pit knew all the words to the emotional tunes- a great beginning to a long day.

Unfortunately, some unexpected weather dropped a deluge of rain and lightning on the area, forcing fans to shelter in place while lightning delays pushed the show back nearly two hours. Once the coast was declared clear, Real Friends blasted into a fast-paced set to make up for lost time and get everyone jumping again. “I’ve Given Up on You” kicked off the crowdsurfing, their cover of Jimmy Eat World’s “Sweetness” went over beautifully with the Arizona audience and the set closed with “From the Outside” just to keep that high energy going. 

After such a long delay, the rest of the lineup all shortened their sets to make sure all of the bands got enough facetime with the fans. Phoenix natives The Summer Set were ready to go, kicking things off with an unbeatable run of “Jukebox (Life Goes On)”, “The Boys You Do (Get Back at You)” and “Boomerang”. Singer Brian Dales demanded everything from his audience and they were more than happy to expend their energy singing along. 

Most of the bands on this festival have been friends for years so naturally The Summer Set took advantage of the proximity to bring Cassadee Pope onstage for a duet on “Teenagers”. Their cover of One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful” and its subsequent mosh pit was- in the band’s words- the most punk rock moment of the day and delighted the largely millennial crowd. The band even treated their audience to an unreleased song before ending with “Chelsea” and “Lightning in a Bottle” (no pun intended after the day’s weather).

East Coast emo was up next in the form of The Wonder Years and their heartfelt set captured everyone’s attention. The band has been a touring staple since the early 2000s and seem to only get better as the years go on. The fans were all in on the abbreviated set, throwing themselves at the barricade for “Passing Through a Screen Door” and the classic closer “Came Out Swinging”.

The sun disappeared behind the treeline and darkness descended on the forest just in time for Mayday Parade to bring their sunflower garden onstage. Their set was a surprising mix of undeniable hits and very deep cuts that clearly meant the world to the band to bring back to life in their shows. Opening with a mix of newer music and the setlist staple “Oh Well Oh Well”, Mayday was off and running to fit as many songs as possible into their allotted time. Naturally, “Jersey” and “Anywhere But Here” made appearances, but the band took a moment to slow things down with “Stay” as well. It was a beautiful set that had every longtime fan firmly in their emotions before screaming along to “Jamie All Over” as the perpetual ending track.

Another garden took shape as The Maine lined the stage with flowers in the pinks and whites that define their current era. Singer John O’Callaghan knows how to hype up his audience and the band got everyone jumping for “Bad Behavior” and “Blame”. At this point, fans had slogged through a very long, damp day and mustered the rest of their energy for these hometown heroes. As it will likely be the band’s last performance in Arizona for the year, those who made it to the end soaked in every moment of the performance. The guys were goofy onstage as usual, bringing an unwitting show goer onstage for “Girls Do What They Want” and inviting a very thrilled young fan to dance along to the band’s new single, “Touch”. 

The love radiating from the crowd was returned in kind by The Maine, with everyone smiling along to “Leave in Five” and a live remix of “Sticky”. As the last notes of “Loved You a Little” rang through the trees, everyone dispersed into the pitch black Flagstaff forest exhausted but definitely happy to have made the journey for this very special summer camp Sunday.