Everyone’s favorite nostalgia festival returned for a massive fourth year as When We Were Young took over the Las Vegas Festival Grounds last weekend. The downtown streets swarmed with colorful millennials clad in all black and sporting their best Warped Tour-era fits to celebrate another edition of the ultimate throwback lineup. Atlas jumped in the pit for day one to mosh with letlive, make “The Great Escape” with Boys Like Girls and even take a journey down “Ocean Avenue” with Yellowcard- and that was just the beginning. Check out all of our favorite moments from Saturday!
Fans Brave the Heat for Pop Punk Paradise
The hottest day of the week dawned bright and cloudless and the fans were feeling the elevated temperatures in their dark outfits and theatrical makeup. Regardless, the crowd assembled before lunch to catch The Summer Set open the show and really bring the sunshine. The Arizona locals are no strangers to heat and they powered through a set that celebrated their newest album while also taking things right back to 2005 with “Chelsea”. Their performance was pure positivity and set the tone for the rest of the very long day.
The Rocket Summer also embraced the harsh sunshine on the Ghost Stage, sweating under the bright rays and someone managing to outshine even Mother Nature. Bryce Avary’s bubbly tunes fit in perfectly on the lineup and he made the most of his first appearance on the festival’s flyer. Every stage had huge crowds but there were plenty of fans congregating with the firm intention of raising their voices in unison to “So Much Love” and “Do You Feel”- a moment that once again captured the nostalgic hearts of a millennial audience.
Sharing the Ghost Stage after TRS was The Cab, fresh from the previous night’s sideshow and ready to rock their hometown on a much larger stage. The barricade was elbow to elbow with fans smiling, crying and singing their hearts out to the recently reunited group and they gave that love right back to a fanbase that’s been patiently waiting for this day to finally arrive. The response was huge and kept the band grinning for their entire set.
A British Invasion at the Allianz Stage
Tucked in the corner of the festival grounds was the not to be overlooked Allianz Stage, boasting some of the festival’s most unique acts of the weekend. Holding Absence’s story certainly caught fans’ attention as several members were prevented from traveling due to visa issues. As such, singer Lucas Woodland performed with the help of Boundaries and the resulting crossover was one of the strongest moments of the day.
Their British counterparts in Don Broco finally made it back stateside and not a moment too soon. The quartet hasn’t been seen on this side of the world in two years but the wait was worth it- the band is refreshed and armed with an upcoming album which they teased with new single “Cellophane” during the set. Fans whipped off their t-shirts to swing them over their heads on- what else- “T-Shirt Song” and jumped with enthusiasm to end the performance with “Pretty”.
The Pink Stage Provides an “Escape”
As both the bands and their fans have gotten older, bands like Yellowcard and Boys Like Girls have reinvigorated their passion to make music that looks towards the future while embracing a past that means so much to their listeners. These bands both shared the main stage in the late afternoon- both with newer music and a core understanding of the balance their fans crave. Of course, Boys Like Girls played the classics because it’s not a BLG set without “Thunder” or “Love Drunk” but they also added in “Language” and “Blood and Sugar” to represent where the band is going today. Either way, happiness levels continued to rise as a parking lot full of people stomped in unison to “The Great Escape”.
Yellowcard emerged to the sound of theTop Gun Anthem right into “Only One” and “Lights and Sounds”. So many eras were represented in their set that every type of fan couldn’t help but find a moment that felt like a time gone by. The band is also embracing their next phase as musicians but certainly closed the set with the omnipresent “Ocean Avenue”.
While not on the main stage, The Starting Line reprised their appearance at this year’s WWWY on the Ghost Stage. After playing a series of one-off shows, the band is back for real and for good with- you guessed it- a brand new album and a new lease on the life of TSL. Singer Kenny Vasoli wasn’t playing around- he wanted his crowd to move and sing and they were happy to oblige during songs like “Up and Go”, “Island” and “The Best of Me”. Fans found clear catharsis in their set and the band smiled into the sun as they observed the future of their music.
“The Scariest Band(s) on This Lineup”
Ominous words from Knocked Loose’s frontman Bryan Garris preceded a performance that the WWWY crowd was braced for and they acted accordingly. They were certainly the heaviest band that we caught from the pit, encouraging a record number of crowd surfers to fling themselves at the barricade during “Don’t Reach for Me”, “Moss Covers All” and “Suffocate”. The band prowled the main stage, riling up the audience and working up a sweat that had nothing to do with the late afternoon heat.
For the first time in over a decade, Breathe Carolina reunited as the original duo, drawing shocked screams from their audience. David Schmitt performed solo for several songs before Kyle Even emerged from the fog for “Hello Fascination”, “Blackout” and more. Anyone in the vicinity reacted like they’d witnessed a miracle but in a place like Las Vegas, even the wildest dreams can come true.
In the same heavy vein, letlive caused chaos after sundown for an audience just happy to see them performing again. Vocalist Jason Butler climbed scaffolding, leapt into the crowd to mosh along to his own music and very nearly swallowed the microphone during a set that was a blur of chugging guitars and flailing limbs. Attendees put off by the headliners found a whole community present at the Allianz Stage for this set, using up the last of their energy to end the day.
The Used might not be as heavy as others on the lineup but their deep catalog of music has always toed that genre line. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the iconic rock group and they hung visual representations of their most critically acclaimed albums in front of a massive Freedom for Palestine flag. The performance was a celebration and a political outcry as the band made effective use of their massive platform to help speak out against injustice. While this was only partially well-received, the general consensus was positive and they left the stage to huge cheers after treating their crowd to all the hits.
Pretty Fly for the Original White Guy
Who could possibly forget The Offspring’s inescapable music video for this song? As the audience assembled to bop along, the band reached into the ether and summoned the original white guy from the video, looking the same as he did 20 years ago- oversized track suit and all. Of course, The Offspring played hit after hit on the main stage, cementing an already rock solid legacy in the hearts and minds of fans of all ages.
Tourmates Avril Lavigne and Simple Plan both performed in front of huge main stage crowds, with Simple Plan joining Lavigne as night fell on the festival grounds. Simple Plan, for their part, showered the audience in confetti and flooded the stage with Scooby Doo cosplayers for the cartoon’s iconic theme song. We may all just be kids and life might just be a nightmare, but for just a few hours, everything was “Perfect”.
You Just Got Weezer’d
Another act tucked away from the main drag was Jack’s Mannequin, one of many inimitable Andrew McMahon projects. Seated behind his piano and bubbling with energy, McMahon and the rest of the band’s enthusiasm simply couldn’t be confined to the stage alone. He jumped on top of the piano and into the audience so everyone could be part of “Dark Blue” and “Bruised”. The impact of McMahon’s music can never be understated and it can be seen with shining clarity at places like WWWY.
Atlas picked a headliner for our day and this year it was the mighty Weezer. Beamed down from their blue planet onto the 7-Eleven Stage, these rock staples knew what the people wanted and were sent there to deliver. The band played the hits and only the hits- from “Surf Wax America” to “Has Pipe” to “Buddy Holly”, even casual listeners walking by knew every word. Their presence on the main stage was anticipated and welcomed, making for the cherry on top of another amazing year.
In between all the music was delicious food, sponsored activities and activations and plenty more band t-shirts to add to an ever-growing collection. While the grounds were packed all day, there was never a dull moment from stage to stage and the audience kept the party going after the last ringing notes faded out over the neon lights of Las Vegas.
