As soon as When We Were Young was announced back in January, would be attendees across social media dubbed it âemo fyre-festâ. To be fair, there was a myriad of reasons naysayers had doubts: the festival would be taking place in the middle of the desert off the Las Vegas strip, and the jam-packed post-punk line-up of over 60 bands seemed impossible considering it would all have to take place in just 12 hours.
Still, last weekend on Saturday, October 22, it seemed the impossible was finally going to take place. But, unfortunately, the first day of the fest was cancelled due to a high-wind advisory in Nevada, leaving would-be attendees wary about whether or not When We Were Young was ever going to live up to its hype.
Luckily, on Sunday, October 23, as gates finally open, itâs clear that the emo sceneâs new music festival would defy the worst expectations, proving the impossible possible, and making many naysayers wish theyâd snagged tickets.

Right off the bat, the festival stays true to its marketing with early-aughts emo favourites like Mayday Parade and Boys Like Girls giving fans the dayâs first dose of nostalgia. Mayday Paradeâs lead singer Derek Sanders makes sure to emphasize the lyrics âI had a dream last night / We drove out to see Las Vegasâ from their 2007 hit âJamie All Overâ to the crowdâs glee.
Later on the festivalâs Pink Stage, Boys Like Girls lead singer Martin Johnson wants fans to have an authentic 2006 experience when he awkwardly stops playing âThe Great Escapeâ mid-way, asking the audience to stop recording the performance and put their phones away.
Part of the genre-focused music festival’s best moments comes by way of inevitable live collaborations, and Sundayâs acts deliver. Kellin Quinn of Sleeping with Sirens joins Pierce The Veil to rock out to âKing For The Dayâ. As the sun goes down, Taking Back Sunday brings out unlikely guest DJ Steve Aoki to perform their new single âJust Us Twoâ â a confusing choice for many audience members who arenât aware of the collab. The best surprise moment, however, comes by way of All Time Low’s lead singer Alex Gaskarth and lead guitarist Jack Barakat joining Avril Lavigne to cover Blink-182âs pop-punk classic âAll The Small Thingsâ as âelder emosâ with their younger counterparts in the crowd collectively losing their minds.

Lavigne delivers fan favourites âGirlfriendâ and âMy Happy Endingâ with a wild burst of energy, but itâs clear sheâs battling sound issues that plague most of the artistsâ sets throughout the day. But sound issues can’t stand against the pop-punk princess, belting out the ballad, âBite Meâ â a moment that also sees her bringing out fiancĂ©e and fellow musician Mod Sun â before transporting the audience back to 2002 with an acoustic track off her first record âIâm with Youâ.
As the night dwindles on and a desert chill creeps up on fans, itâs clear festival goers in the pit are starting to feel the toll of the long day. But that all changes when Bring Me The Horizon take the Black Stage, electrifying the tiring crowd.
Opening with âCan You Feel My Heartâ, lead singer Oli Sykes screams his heart out and riles up an amassing crowd of thousands of people to jump, mosh, punch and scream along. Sykes even taunts the crowd, shouting, ânow if you donât jump, youâre a fucking shithead!â By the middle of their set, the whole crowd is roaring the lyrics of âShadow Mosesâ back at the Bring Me The Horizon while stage flames frame the head-banging band, right before the intense yearning of âDrownâ turns the notch up on the energy levels at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds.

The most exciting acts of the night are, unsurprisingly, the most anticipated headliners: Paramore and My Chemical Romance, two bands that have paved the way for and inspired most of the bands on the lineup.
Paramore shocks the crammed crowd, opening with the live debut of deep-cut âAll I Wantedâ â a song they usually donât play live due to the strain it puts on vocalist Hayley Williams. Of course, Williams nails it and hits each high note with expert precision. Another notable addition to Paramoreâs setlist is arguably one of the best of their discography: âLast Hopeâ, a track that feels cinematic against the backdrop of Las Vegas lights.
True to herself, Williams takes her precious time on stage, reflecting on what everyone is celebrating at When We Were Young. âTonight weâre celebrating emo,â Williams starts before delving into the sceneâs history. â ⊠But we got lost along the way and, in the early 2000s, when Paramore came onto the scene ⊠the scene was not always a safe place to be if you were different.â The formidable frontwoman goes on to explain how emo music has often been a space for white cis men. As Paramore builds into their breakthrough hit âMisery Businessâ Williams promises to always provide a safe space for âyoung women, people of colour and the queer community.â

Finally, emo scene founding fathers My Chemical Romance take the stage. In a hilarious subversion and nod to the festival name, lead singer Gerard Way not only dresses in his classic early 2000s era black suit and red tie, but also wears ageing makeup and prosthetics. The band brings a whole new meaning to âelder emo,â almost as if to remind fans âweâre not young anymore, and neither are you.â
Elder emo status aside, MCR still shows the crowd of 60,000 fans they can bring new life to old favourites. âIâm Not Okay (I Promise)â and âHelenaâ take on a fresh light with the band still leaning into the theatrical stage presence they’re known for. The band performs a setlist that encompasses most of their varied discography, but they notably (and thankfully) donât play new songs. This calculated feat continues until the band closes the night with âVampire Moneyâ, leaving revellers in a hazy glow of nostalgia, joy, and fireworks that fill up the Vegas sky on the last note.
It takes a lot to live up to the hype and pull of what many thought was impossible, but as fans head into the desert in the checkered vans with wide smiles across their faces, it’s safe to say the emo fest not only incited nostalgia, but is evident of a more inclusive post-punk future.
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