All Time Low
July 11th, 2017
Showbox Sodo – Seattle, WA
When All Time Low announced they would be releasing their 7th studio album, Last Young Renegade fans were thrilled. Not only would they get new music but also new tours. Since the announcement of the new album, the band has been touring all over the world in countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia. The band just finished their North American leg of the tour. We caught up with the tour in Seattle, and it was amazing. With support from The Wrecks, Waterparks, and SWMRS, this tour is surprisingly one the best North American tours of the summer.
With All Time Low’s new record taking a more pop as opposed to punk sound, the tour lineup wasn’t what most fans would expect. When I saw the supporting acts this tour, I assumed the bands would seem out of place. Yet all of the performances were the exact opposite of being out of place.
The band that surprised me the most was the first band to come on, The Wrecks. The upcoming 5 piece band from California put on a spectacular, energetic, and emotional set. It’s not often that a band has me wanting to dance and sing along to songs I’ve never heard! Their music wasn’t the only thing great about their set, the band also impressed the crowd with their great stage presence. The singer hopped down to the crowd a few times throughout the set and even crowd surfed during their song Turn It Up which had the energy in the room cranked to an 11. Which, for a band that’s first up on the line and hardly anyone in the room has heard of, is a huge achievement. I’m a bit bummed they currently have only 3 songs out, but from what I can tell, the band has been working sincerely hard to put out an EP; and I’m definitely looking forward to that. I’m sure we’ll be hearing about these guys a lot more in the near future!
After one of the shortest set changes I have ever experienced, Waterparks were up next. This was the only band on the lineup I wasn’t surprised was opening on this tour. The 3 piece band from Houston, TX has gained a noticeably larger following since the first time I saw them when they opened up for Never Shout Never in late January of 2016. The band has attention drawing charisma just like All Time Low does, and that has fans going crazy over them. With how loud the crowd screamed as they walked onto the stage, someone could’ve easily been mistaken thinking All Time Low was coming out! The fans kept it that loud throughout the entire set as they sang along to popular songs such as Royal and Stupid For You, while the band jumped around all over the stage, but they didn’t just limit themselves to the stage. Guitarist Geoff Wigington got up close and personal with the front row, and jumped down into the photo pit for a song. This is a band that really cares for their fanbase, and since they don’t think anyone should pay to meet them (how genuine!) they met fans in between sets and after the show.
After yet another short set change it was time for the last of the openers, SWMRS to take stage. It’s not surprising that they were apart of the tour lineup since they are on the same record label as All Time Low. I wouldn’t typically expect a band like SWMRS to open up for a tour like this but after their energy filled set I can see why they were placed on this lineup! It’s safe to say that they truly know how to put on a punk show. I mean they even take time out of their set to vaguely talk about politics, the vocalist of the band would often take time in between songs stating things such as “be good to everyone” “give it up for the security guards…. and moms” “think for yourself ,stop being a follower” and the crowd seemed to agree! The way the vocalist talked actually sort of reminded me of Green Day which isn’t surprising since SWMR’s drummer is Billie Joe Armstrong’s kid. The band previously known as Emily’s Army, consists of brothers Cole (vocals + rhythm guitar) and Max Becker (vocals + guitar), Joey Armstrong (drums) and Seb Mueller (bass). As the Becker brothers continued to switch vocals throughout songs, you could feel the difference in tone between them, with Cole having a more punk voice, while his brother sung in a softer tune. Some of the crowd favorites of the night were songs off there first and only album Drive North such as Figure It Out, Palm Trees, and Miley– which is in fact a song about Miley Cyrus who the band claims is a “punk rock queen”. You can check out SWMRS this fall on their tour with The Interpreters they’re touring all over North America until December so there’s bound to be a date near you! 
Shortly after it was finally time for the main act, All Time Low to take the stage. It’s no surprise that Seattle is one of the band’s favorite cities to play in, with how enthused the crowd was. The lead guitarist of the band, Jack Barakat even keeps count of how many shows they’ve played here, supposedly this was their 23rd time playing in Seattle!! This time around they packed the venue with a variety of old fans who’ve been around since the release of one of the most iconic pop punk albums – So Wrong, It’s Right as well as newer and younger fans that have just found them from their latest release Last Young Renegades. Their setlist consisted of 20 songs which perfectly satisfied everyone in the crowd. One of my favorite moments during the show was when they invited around 15 fans on stage for Time Bomb and vocalist Alex Gaskarth gave his mic to a little girl around the age of 5. The band played a few old favorites like Vegas, Therapy, and Weightless that had the crowd screaming back the lyrics and crowd surfing. All Time Low have been through quite a few changes in the last year – they left Hopeless Records and switched to Fueled By Ramen, they released Last Young Renegade. The band has a new direction for where they want their music to go, and fans are on board. It took the fan base a few listen to get used to singles like Dirty Laundry, Last Young Renegade, and Good Times, but after some getting used to, people fell for their evolving sound. These singles got them so hyped up, the creativity in their fandom is shining as bright as ever. Many fans are creating custom denim jackets in support of the new album (similar to the ones in the Last Young Renegades video) and bringing them out to the shows – they all obtain the album’s aesthetic, while having a hint of the fans personality added as well.
The production for this tour was one of the best they’ve ever had. During the intro to Missing You they had fans talking that played on screen and then during Something’s Gotta Give fans were on each other’s shoulders while beach balls were thrown all throughout the venue.
Wouldn’t be an All Time Low show if bras weren’t thrown on stage everyone wasn’t “sweaty as balls” a popular catchphrase the band has said over the years. The band actually said this was the hottest date of the tour so far! Despite the security guards best efforts to keep fans hydrated, fans were still passing out and even Alex Gaskarth seemed very concerned and took time to find every water bottle on stage and throw them out to the crowd. I hadn’t seen them play a show this hot since I saw them perform at El Corazon!
The band came back on stage to play a three song encore that ended with Dear Maria Count Me In as always.
Needless to say that all the bands on this roster know how to put on a show and I’m pretty sure everyone left with smiles on their faces. If you have the chance to check out any of these bands live then I highly suggest it – you won’t be disappointed!
If you’re dying to see All Time Low then the band just announced some shows in honor of the 10 year anniversary of So Wrong, It’s Right that will for sure be memorable.
Review by: Sarina Solem
All Time Low
SWMRS
The Wrecks
Waterparks
