This weekend’s When We Were Young Fest in Las Vegas, NV, was nothing short of a brilliant pop-punk playground packed with fantastic performances from tons of our favorite artists in the scene. From collaborations such as Yellowcard inviting Cassadee Pope on stage to perform “Only One” to Green Day playing their unreleased, new single “The American Dream Is Killing Me,” WWWY 2023 will surely go down in history as one of the greatest music events of our generation. And while one of the best moments was the unexpected reunion and surprise appearance of Cobra Starship’s Gabe Saporta joining forces with The Academy Is… on stage to perform their 2005 collaboration “Bring It! (Snakes On A Plane),” that wasn’t the only unexpected reunion fans received.
After his guest performance at the festival, Saporta shared a snapshot of himself with The Academy Is…’s William Beckett and Gym Class Heroes’ Travie McCoy, who appeared on “Bring It! (Snakes On A Plane)” with Saporta and Beckett.
Unfortunately, McCoy didn’t join Cobra Starship and The Academy Is… on stage for the “Bring It!” performance, leaving fans slightly disappointed. While we would have absolutely loved to see the three musicians unite on stage to bring it for fans, McCoy put on an outstanding performance with Gym Class Heroes later in the afternoon at the festival featuring their hits “Cupid’s Chokehold,” “Stereo Hearts,” and more.
Despite the missed opportunity, the fact that all three artists found themselves in the same place at the same time was a gift in itself. Now, we’ll be waiting with bated breath for the three to come together again and “bring it” (*wink*)!
More on Gym Class Heroes
Having Gym Class Heroes back is a treat in itself. Though they haven’t been active in five years, vocalist Travie McCoy certainly has been. He shared his latest solo album, Never Slept Better, back in 2022, his first since 2010’s Lazarus. A hard-hitting and harmonious blend of forward-thinking hip-hop and thoughtful rock, it showcases all of the things that have made Travie such a star over the years. Witty, open, honest, and inspiring, it’s all here.
Gym Class Heroes were also recently on the road with All Time Low, Grayscale, and Lauran Hibberd.
More on The Academy Is…
The return of The Academy Is… feels like a breath of fresh air into the nostalgia that we are all feeling right now. The band was responsible for three very special albums in the second half of the ’00s. 2005’s Almost Here, 2007’s Santi and 2008’s Fast Times At Barrington High captured the ups and downs of young love, growing older, and finding your place in the world. Since the band’s initial return in 2015, where they toured to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Almost Here, they have been incredibly selective about what they do and where they play. They performed for the first time in seven years in 2022 at the Concord Music Hall in Chicago.
Since then, they have made their way back to the UK for an appearance at Slam Dunk Festival and supported Fall Out Boy on a selection of dates on the first leg of their So Much (For) Stardust U.S. tour.