Something’s Gotta Give but not at an All Time Low concert
by Aja Landolfi, editor in chief
American pop punk band All Time Low made up of Alex Gaskarth (vocals/guitar), Jack Barakat (guitar/backing vocals), Rian Dawson (drums) and Zack Merrick (bass/backing vocals) took to the stage for the second go round of their Future Hearts tour, creatively known as the Back to the Future Hearts Tour (BTTFH Tour). The opening acts for the tour included Neck Deep and Sleeping with Sirens (SWS).
The BTTFH Tour made its last stop at the Theater at Madison Square Garden on November 24th. The tour was to promote their newly released album, Future Hearts, which came out on April 3rd.
The first opening act was a Welsh band Neck Deep. They were supposed to go on at 7pm, but they went on earlier than expected due to having to catch a flight back to the UK. This was the only complaint of the night for most people. There was no prior warning to this change and many fans were still standing in line for merch when the band started playing.
Once Neck Deep was finished, Sleeping with Sirens took to the stage. The band changed the atmosphere of the venue drastically. Everyone who was once quiet was on their feet yelling and singing along. The band played some fan favorites like “If You Can’t Hang,” “Kick Me,” “The Strays,” and “We Like It Loud.” They also covered the song “Iris” originally performed by the Goo Goo Dolls.
Finally came the moment everyone was waiting for. All Time Low hit the stage at 9pm. The band put up a curtain and stood behind it with their only their shadows showing. They started the show behind the curtain singing “Satellite.” Throughout the show, they sang some older songs like “Lost In Stereo,” “A Love Like War,” “Backseat Serenade,” “Weightless,” and “Poppin’ Champaign.”
All Time Low also played the majority of the songs off of their new album like “Kicking & Screaming,” “Dancing with a Wolf,” “Don’t You Go,” “Kids in the Dark,” “Something’s Gotta Give,” and “Old Scars/Future Hearts.”
Halfway through their set, Barakat, Dawson and Merrick left the stage and Gaskarth sang a few songs just him and his acoustic guitar. Gaskarth gave the audience the option to vote for which song they wanted him to sing. The choices were “Remembering Sunday” or “Therapy.” “Remembering Sunday” won. After Gaskarth finished, the crowd started chanting “Therapy, Therapy, Therapy!” In the end, Gaskarth said “f**k it! It’s the last show of the tour” and sang “Therapy” too. He also sang “Missing You” off of their new album while the rest of the members joined him back on stage.
“I thought the concert was amazing. I was definitely excited when I got the tickets. It was one of the best birthday presents I’ve gotten in my entire life. All in all I loved it,” sophmore Robyn Landolfi said.
Throughout the concert, All Time Low was cracking jokes and the crowd was in hysterics. Towards the end of the of the show, Barakat started singing and dancing to “Guacamole” by Dr. Jean. Gaskarth said he’d let it slide because it was the last show of the tour.
“This is what my nightmare feels like, like when I have nightmares it’s 5,000 people singing Guacamole, while Rian plays the drums,” Gaskarth joked.
The energy of the venue was out of this world. There wasn’t a moment when people were bored. All Time Low kept the crowd engaged and made it feel like everyone was one big family.
“My overall experience was nothing less than perfect. I was able to sing along and have fun without my parents telling me to shut it. It was the best night of my life. The concert was amazing and I loved every second of it,” sophomore Skylar Kleess said.
All Time Low closed the show how they close every other show by singing “Dear Maria, Count Me In.” Keep an eye out for All Time Low and all of their craziness in 2016.