On October 20, my father took me into the city to see a marching band.
In other words, we hopped on a flight to Vegas to attend this year’s annual When We Were Young Festival.
2025 marks the third, and in my opinion, best year of the appropriately nicknamed “emo Coachella.” Held at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds yet again, WWWY boasted an absolutely stacked line up, spread across five stages. This year though, the festival put a spin on the way the artists conducted their performances. Instead of having the artists compile career spanning set lists as per usual, each band chose one iconic album to perform in full.
Whether or not every band decided to follow through with that, is not for me to say!
In total, over 60 iconic bands were squeezed into the lineup, playing at the same time of day on both Saturday and Sunday. Trying to strategize a way to see as many of these bands as possible truly should have been considered an Olympic sport, as it was not uncommon to see festival goers (me included) sprinting across the grounds trying to catch all of their favorite bands on time.
In total, I was able to see 15 sets over the course of my 15-hour day on Sunday. Not bad!
The Paradox took the stage first at 10:40 a.m. at the Ghost Stage, with Daisy Grenade and Neck Deep opening up the Pink Stage, one of two headline stages around the same time.
Now listen, I have to be honest here. I did indeed purchase my admission ticket as soon as Neck Deep announced they would be performing their iconic “Life’s Not Out To Get You” album in full. One thing about me is I am a die hard “The Beach is For Lovers (Not Lonely Losers)” fan and seeing as they have barely performed that track since the album’s release in 2015, I simply could not miss it.
Mayday Parade and L.S. Dunes knocked it out of the park with high energy sets fit in between Daisy Grenade and Neck Deep over at the Purple Stage, which was connected directly to the Pink Stage. Having the two main stages standing side by side was a decision that was widely appreciated, as the bands at both stages could be seen clearly regardless of which side viewers were standing at.
After a morning filled with crowd surfing, moshing, and dancing to non-stop pop-punk anthems under the fiery Vegas sun, I needed a break. So naturally, to the food tents I went! The amount of food and drink vendors hosted this year was a pleasant surprise, as there was something for everyone, including those with dietary restrictions. And of course, an emo festival wouldn’t be an emo festival without Beatbox! Which was evident by the amount of bright orange and blue boxes I saw in most people’s hands.
Merch tables and interactive photo ops were spread throughout the grounds, with lines staying strong all throughout the day. One of the most memorable installations brought by the festival this year was a themed tattoo truck, where attendees could receive WWWY or alternative culture themed pieces during the event.
After my well-deserved break was over, I headed to the Verizon stage to catch State Champs and a portion of Four Year Strong. Unlike the other stages, the Verizon stage was completely covered by a tent-like roof, which offered a much needed and appreciated break from the heat.
One of the highlights from my time at the Verizon stage was State Champs bringing out Ben Barlow of Neck Deep to perform the hit track “Everybody but You” from State Champs’ 2022 record, “Kings of the New Age.”
Although I was only able to see the beginning of Four Year Strong’s set, they absolutely brought the energy back into anyone who was starting to feel tired out.
After I left the wonderful shade provided by the Verizon stage, I headed to the Allianz stage for the latter half of Saves the Day’s set, and The Maine’s full set right after. The Maine performed tracks off of their debut album “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop,” and had the most stellar crowd engagement that I had seen over the course of the day.
Other iconic performances throughout the day included 3OH!3’s “WANT” in full, Senses Fail’s “Still Searching” in full, Cobra Starships, Chiodos, The Wonder Years’s “The Greatest Generation” in full, and Hawthorne Heights.
Immediately after The Maine wrapped their set, the sun began to set as I booked it all the way back to the Purple Stage where My Chemical Romance would be performing their iconic album “The Black Parade” in full…a whopping five hours later.
I arrived at the Purple Stage in the midst of Taking Back Sunday’s performance of their album “Tell All Your Friends,” which was followed by The Used’s “In Love and Death” set.
Pierce the Veil offered a change in pace as they rocketed through their 2012 record “Collide With the Sky.” This was hands down one of my favorite sets of the day, with rarities like “One Hundred Sleepless Nights” and “Stained Glass Eyes and Colorful Tears” making a comeback, and on-stage guest appearances by Kellin Quinn of Sleeping With Sirens during “King for a Day” and Jenna McDougall of Tonight Alive during “Hold On Till May.”
Jimmy Eat World took the Pink stage with “Bleed American,” followed by A Day To Remember with “Homesick” before it was time for the headliners to begin their sets.
Fall Out Boy, being one of the only bands that chose not to perform an album in full, had one of the best stage productions I’ve seen out of all the shows I’ve been to this year. In a sort of Eras Tour fashion, the group pulled off consistent outfit and set changes, pyrotechnics, and firework shows that corresponded to each of Fall Out Boy’s eras. In short, it was impossible to look away.
Finally, the moment I had been waiting for over the past year was about to begin. At 10:40 p.m. My Chemical Romance graced the Purple Stage with one of the most quintessential emo albums of all time. The familiar sound of a beeping heart monitor rang out as the group took to the stage, jumping right into “The End” and “Dead!”
With a minimalistic stage production compared to their partnering headliner, the audience’s full focus was on the band’s vocals and stage presence. Donning simple, all black outfits, some would say their look was fit for a funeral.
After proclaiming “The Black Parade” to be dead during a live album recording in 2007, hearing all of these tracks live for in some cases, the very first time since that night, was nothing short of emotional.
It is extremely clear to see “The Black Parade’s” lasting impact on society based not only on the packed crowd at the mainstages, but the reactions of those who were there. Regardless of knowing ahead of time that the band would be performing “The Black Parade” in full, that didn’t stop everyone watching from having an over-the-top reaction every time a new song began.
“Disenchanted” is my personal favorite track off of “The Black Parade,” and I will admit I was in hysterics. “The roar of the crowd” was actually just the sound of my tears!
It is safe to say that this year’s festival was a landmark event that brought bands and attendees together from all over the world, all for the same reason. It’s events like this that remind me of how wonderful it is to be someone who enjoys music and live performances so passionately.
I would say I can’t wait to see what When We Were Young has in store for us next October…but they already dropped the 2025 festival lineup!
Spoiler alert: its jaw dropping.
