The final Warped Tour. The return of MCR. The Super Hella Mega tour. The last few years have been momentous for the music industry. Whatever you call your favorite genre—rock, punk, emo, alternative—we want to make sure you heard the good news.
This week, a brand new festival was announced for 2022. The When We Were Young Festival is a one day event slated for this October at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. The line up looked like a gag-joke at first; no way this many bands would all be in one place at one show. Headlined by My Chemical Romance and Paramore, the rest of the flyer is jam packed with familiar names, everyone from Hawthorne Heights to The All-American Rejects. But for the moment, it seems like this is reality.
It’s possible for the When We Were Young Festival to go one of two ways. Years from now, we’ll either be looking back at the next Warped Tour, or the next DashCon. While we’re still daydreaming, we thought we’d put together a list of our favorite bands that didn’t make the cut.
All Time Low
This one felt so natural, it took us a few looks to realize they weren’t on the guest list. Who among us hasn’t blasted an ATL song in their car, scream-shouting the lyrics at 3 o’clock in the morning? …at least, we’re pretty sure that’s not just us… They’re cool, classic, and pretty damn reliable to boot. Just take a look at their discography if you don’t believe us! Whether you feel like dancing or battling through an existential crisis – there’s a good track for you somewhere in there.
Our Favorite Tracks: “Weightless” from Nothing Personal, “The Reckless and the Brave” from Don’t Panic
Cobra Starship
Okay, so Cobra Startship isn’t strictly classified as a punk band. Dance-pop may sound a right sight different, but if you’ve heard any of their songs, you know they’re edgy enough to make the cut. Also, any band formed after going on a drug-fueled “spiritual journey” in the desert, followed by friendship with Pete Wentz…well, that should automatically get you stage access at the When We Were Young Festival.
Our Favorite Tracks: “Good Girls Gone Bad” from Hot Mess, “Pete Wentz is the Only Reason We’re Famous” from Hot Mess, “The Church of Hot Addiction” from While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets
New Politics
My reason for this is simple: they are fun. New Politics just seeps energy, which is definitely what you need after a midday festival slump. Play it at a dance party, play it at the gym, play it in the car. Personally, I consider this a musical energy drink that always makes me smile, while still be appropriately edgy enough to scream sing the lyrics while desperately trying to avoid a mosh pit.
Our Favorite Tracks: “Harlem” from A Bad Girl in Harlem, “Aristocrat” from Vikings, “Everywhere I Go (Kings and Queens)” from Vikings
Night Riots
Most of this list could qualify as “an oldie, but a goodie.” However, the When We Were Young Festival features bands that were established in the 90’s and some artists who’ve only been in the business for a few years. The important thing is capturing that same energy and edge of classic punk rock. Night Riots self-describes themselves as “gloom pop,” which means it’s all skeletons, deep purple, and fun times.
Our Favorite Tracks: “Contagious” from Howl, “Nothing Personal” from Love Gloom, “Colour Morning” from New State of Mind
Evanescence
Come now, you didn’t think we were going to leave off this classic, did you? There’s no one on this planet who hasn’t heard Evanescence. Forget When We Were Young Festival—if you haven’t heard “Bring Me To Life,” then I don’t trust that you’re human. Where did you come from? When did you arrive on Earth? Are you an alien? A ghost?
Our Favorite Tracks: “Bring Me To Life,” “My Immortal,” and “Going Under” from Fallen
The Killers
How are you going to have a When We Were Young Festival and not have the one band that actually made the song When You Were Young?! The Killers had an absolute laundry list of tracks that made them one of the more well known bands of the mid to late 2000s. And no one can resist Mr. Brightside…or else…
Our Favorite Tracks: “Somebody Told Me” and “Mr. Brightside” from Hot Fuss, and “Human” from Day & Age
The Devil Wears Prada
The Devil Wears Prada really stood out when they dropped the track Dez Moines. It was featured in Guitar Hero: World Tour, but the song that reached a broader audience in the end with their cover of “Still Fly” from the Punk Goes Crunk series. They co-headlined Warped Tour with 3OH!3 which are in the lineup for this festival!
Our Favorite Tracks: “Still Fly” from Punk Goes Crunk and “Dez Moines” and “Sassafras” from With Roots Above and Branches Below
Modest Mouse
Modest Mouse is one of those bands that everyone knows, but they kind of get forgotten nowadays. That being said, it’s a borderline travesty for them to not be included! They even have cross genre influence. Lupe Fiasco’s Lasers album featured a track called “The Show Goes On” which sampled the beat from “Float On”
Our Favorite Tracks: “Float On” and “Ocean Breathes Salty” from Good News for People Who Love Bad News and “King Rat” from No One’s First, and You’re Next
blink-182
Tom DeLonge recently said in an interview that a blink-182 reunion was only a matter of time. After patching things up with Mark Hoppus, who announced in September that he was cancer free (We’re happy to hear that Mark!), the idea of a blink-182 reunion has become more of a reality!
Our Favorite Tracks: “I Miss You” from blink-182 and “What’s My Age Again” and “All The Small Things” from Enema of The State
Good Charlotte
Good Charlotte was one of the more mainstream bands from around the time most of this lineup was at their peak, but that doesn’t change the fact that they had some banger tracks. They literally wrote “The Anthem!” Their music, like many in this lineup, still holds up today!
Our Favorite Tracks: “The Anthem” and “Boys & Girls” from The Young and The Hopeless and “The River” from Good Morning Revival.
Honorable Mentions
The Cab | Foxy Shazam | Death Cab for Cutie | Metro Station | Forever the Sickest Kids | Bowling for Soup
The Neighborhood | Of Monsters and Men | Say Anything | Marianas Trench | Set It Off
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It’s anyone’s guess how the next few months are going to play out before the When We Were Young Festival. Make sure to keep up with the drama by following on social media. And if all else fails, you can always get your My Chemical Romance fix with our MCR Limited Edition Crate Series. Each crate is dedicated to a different MCR era; buy your fave, or get a bonus gift with the whole set!
