Pop punk isn’t dead. And anyone that tells you otherwise is a damn liar. We’ve all grown up but we haven’t left the scene. That was proven this night at the House of Blues in Cleveland. A long list of bands took the stage to put on an incredibly energetic show. Headlining the tour is Albany, NY band State Champs with direct support from Our Last Night. Joining them is Let It Happen, Grayscale, and The Dangerous Summer.
The first of five, Cincinnati band Let It Happen started things off. In terms of opening bands, they were fine. They weren’t mind blowingly great, but they were a nice start to the evening. Their music felt like ‘safe’ rock. They definitely got the atmosphere set for the rest of the acts. The crowd was enthusiastic from the start, when singer Drew Brown encouraged the crowd to clap along to the song, they responded well.
I first heard of Grayscale at Warped Tour 2018, they were hanging around passing out EPs to the passers by. You could tell they were highly anticipated, there were people there to specifically see them. They really brought the energy to a higher level. Jumps and spins were common during their set. Moshes broke out, crowd surfers rose up, and the fans ate it up. They played really well. While this band is known in the pop punk world, I feel their best years are still to come. This is definitely a band to keep your eyes on.
The Dangerous Summer came up next. These guys had a much more chill vibe to their performance, but their music is always incredibly enjoyable to listen to. It’s the kind of music where you just want to lay down and get lost in it. At one point singer and bassist NAME had everyone bring out their flashlights and went into the crowd to sing and connect with fans. They played incredibly well, even though they didn’t move around a lot; there weren’t any moshes or crown surfers, but the crowd responded very positively to the performance.
When The Dangerous Summer’s set ended, we were informed that singer/screamer Trevor Michael of Our Last Night was taken to the hospital and the band wouldn’t be performing tonight. No other details were given. We at RockRevolt wish him a speedy recovery from whatever is afflicting him.
I was enjoying the show. The music was great, the atmosphere was upbeat, and then State Champs came on. God damn. They were so clearly a cut above everyone else. I was bouncing up and down in the photo pit… and I wasn’t jumping. The sheer force of everyone jumping in unison caused the ground to shake so much that I was airborne for a second. The energy was infectious. You couldn’t help but be in a good mood. Every person in the band contributed to an incredible performance. Frontman Derek DiScanio brought his usual charisma and energy. You can’t help but like they guy, at every show I’ve seen he always seems to be having the time of his life. Guitarists Tyler and Tony absolutely killed it on the riffs, bassist Ryan Graham was on point, and drummer Evan Ambrosio was okay too… Na I kid, the dude ripped on the drums. Seriously, make sure you go out and see this show, you will not be disappointed; it’s a fantastic way to connect with a community that’s continuing to grow.
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Words and photography by contributing writer Dan Cornelius
