While we’re waiting for what will surely be another monumental and nostalgic year at When We Were Young Fest, here are five throwback core memories we’re hoping to relive at the festival.
You still have a few days to download the idobi App to enter for a chance to win 2 tickets to the SOLD OUT Saturday, October 19, When We Were Young show. Enter here or below!
Win 2 Tickets To When We Were Young
1. Hearing Deep Cuts From My Chemical Romance’s Beloved Album The Black Parade
My Chemical Romance has a vast discography ranging over two decades, which means seeing them live on an occasion outside of When We Were Young Festival is a trip down memory lane spanning many albums and eras. Their setlist usually sprinkles in tracks from multiple eras.
Face it—it’s hard to pick a favorite album but we can all agree that The Black Parade altered the chemical composition of our emo brains forever and caused us to eternally overreact to a G note on the piano. Certain songs, like the title track and “Teenagers” are always a staple in their setlist. Other songs, like “The End.” and “Disenchanted” are deep cuts that fans rarely get to hear in a live setting…until now.
2. Hey Monday Reuniting To Perform Hold On Tight
Hey Monday‘s album Hold On Tight brought us classic pop-rock hits like “Homecoming” and “How You Love Me Now” that were on a constant rotation in Hot Topic stores and iPod shuffles in 2008. Cassadee Pope‘s blonde-streak-filled hair and the band’s distinct skinny jeans and vest combos were synonymous with Decaydance‘s glory days.
After Cassadee Pope won season 3 of The Voice in 2012, Hey Monday‘s fate became obscure as she transformed into a chart-topping country star. Meanwhile, Chris, Mike, Jersey, and Elliot moved on to other projects. Now in 2024, Cassadee maintains a successful solo career performing pop-rock songs that are true to her roots and she is gearing up to reunite with her bandmates to perform Hold On Tight in full at When We Were Young.
3. Cobra Starship Reuniting To Perform ¡Viva La Cobra!
November 10, 2015, was a sad day for scene kids around the world when Cobra Starship announced their breakup. We solemnly packed up our purple American Apparel hoodies and shutter shades as we reminisced about their dance-rock hits that carried us through many late-night house parties.
For six years, we continued blaring “Good Girls Go Bad” and recited every word like it was gospel. Then, everything changed when Gabe Saporta, Victoria Asher, and Nate Novarro announced their When We Were Young Festival reunion and joined Fall Out Boy on stage in 2024. They will be performing ¡Viva La Cobra! from front to back, including their hits “The City Is At War” and “Guilty Pleasure.”
4. The Maine Performing Can’t Stop Won’t Stop From Front To Back
The Maine has a unique angle on this list as a band that is still actively releasing relevant, beloved music in 2024. Their unbreakable community and feel-good pop-rock music originated with their monumental debut release, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop in 2008. It is a time capsule to relive the feelings of teenage love, rebellion, heartbreak, and innocence.
This is another band with an extremely expansive catalog that can’t be summarized in a one-hour setlist, which means that most of their shows in 2024 skim over this album. That all changes at When We Were Young when we can expect to hear deep-cut favorites like “Kiss And Sell” and “Whoever She Is” for the first time in a long time. I must be dreaming!!
5. Tonight Alive Reuniting
Tonight Alive‘s hype garnered enough traction to make them an international success beyond their home country of Australia. Their soul-baring lyrics, combined with Jenna McDougall‘s soaring voice, made them an instant standout.
Before “brat” made lime green a trendy color, Tonight Alive claimed the color scheme with their iconic 2013 album The Other Side, which boasts a no-skips tracklist including “Lonely Girl” and an unforgettable title track. They will be performing the entire album from top to bottom at the festival. Although Tonight Alive‘s hiatus isn’t as long as some of the other bands reuniting on WWWY, this one pulls at our heartstrings nonetheless. Lead guitarist Whakaio Taahi confirmed via his Instagram Stories that he will rejoin the band for this reunion, marking his first time performing with Tonight Alive in seven years.
When We Were Young Festival will take place on October 19 and 20, 2024, at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. You can view the full lineup and details here.
