Here's to Teenage Memories: A Day At When We Were Young 2023

Written and photos by Mary Perez

Graphic by Rebekah Witt

It’s a warm Saturday morning, and Las Vegas is buzzing with the sounds of emo and pop punk revival. The second annual When We Were Young Festival was starting its first day of the weekend on the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, and fans could be easily spotted throughout the city, donning various band shirts, black fishnets, and huge smiles. Who wouldn’t be excited when you were prepping for a day of seeing all of your favorite bands and sharing a weekend with other fans? As I waited to leave for the festival, I watched as a friend group sprayed one another with sunscreen and discussed which bands they were planning on catching throughout the day.

As I arrived at the festival, it was evident that everyone was ready for a good time. The iconic When We Were Young arch welcomed everyone with a blast from the past, as boomboxes, stuffed animals (hello, Beanie Babies!), and familiar movies on VHS (shoutout to “Pinocchio” and “The Little Mermaid”) lined its sides as a way of paying tribute to the good ol’ days. It’s funny to think that some of these things likely wouldn’t be recognized by today’s kids, but so many fans walked by and took a photo in front of the displays, admiring how nostalgic everything was. 

I first made my way over to catch a bit of Citizen’s set. After hearing a few of the classic Citizen hits (“The Night I Drove Alone” definitely had the crowd feeling all of the emotions), I headed out to see what was happening around the fest. I was already feeling the heat weighing on me, but I had to admire everyone staying committed to the black skinny jeans in the Vegas sun. I took a break to grab some water; luckily, WWWY had several hydration stations for fans to refill their water bottles and stay cool throughout the weekend. There’s nothing quite like the Las Vegas heat to take the energy out of excited festivalgoers, but the fest was prepared for every situation. Each cooling area had a different theme, but my favorite by far was the makeshift cemetery. Fans lounged and took a break from the sun by resting against the tombstones or standing in front of the refreshing misting stations. Huge lifesaver!

Anyone who knows me knows that 5 Seconds of Summer are one of my favorite bands ever, and I wouldn’t be in this industry if it weren’t for them. After spending half an hour nearly collapsing over them being in the press tent—yes, music journalists fangirl, too—I was more than excited to see them again for their final performances for a while. There was absolutely no way I was going to miss them, regardless of how much I had to hurry from the front of the festival all the way to the Green Stage. I was ecstatic that they brought back some of their skits from tour, as they fit far better in this setting than we could have imagined. People who had never seen them live before were probably very confused when they appeared on the big screens, decked out in medical gear and diagnosed us as 5SOS fans, but they got quite a few laughs when the doctors noted that we had to have the flannels from our waists removed but were still wearing black skinny jeans. 

Although it would have been nice to have a longer 5SOS set, it was great that they were able to incorporate some of their newer traditions into their festival set, such as their dice bit. Fans know the dice all too well; its sides each have the name of a different 5SOS deep cut, and the band will play whichever song it lands on (although they have been known to cheat the system at times). As frontman Luke Hemmings dragged the massive dice out at the end of “Don’t Stop,” we all cheered and prepared for fate to take its turn on the setlist. Once it was up in the air, fans bounced the inflatable around, even past the time limit the band set on the screen. Surrendering the dice over to some lucky fans, the band opted to play “End Up Here” from their 2014 self-titled debut. That afternoon, I finally fulfilled one of my dreams: getting to crowdsurf to 5 Seconds of Summer. I was able to get some time up in the air during the last minute of “End Up Here” and a successful surf to the front during closer “Youngblood.” What a great memory.

As I walked back, I was able to hear a few songs from Turnover’s set, and I loved hearing some tracks from the quintessential fall album for the emo kids, Peripheral Vision. Even though it was over 90F out in Vegas, I was immediately transported to my days in Philadelphia, with trees changing color and winds getting a little stronger in the later months. Before taking a break from running around, I wanted to stop by the Ghost Stage to see a bit of Beach Bunny. Even though they are admittedly one of the poppier acts on the lineup, it was nice to hear vocalist Lili Trifilio ask for fans to “open up the pit” for their final song. When I had a chance, I finally took a chance to stop by the Broken Promises activation. One of the biggest at the festival, the lifestyle brand put together a special experience for anyone who came by. Tattoos and piercings were available for any interested festivalgoers; after all, what better way to commemorate a special weekend than getting tatted/pierced between your favorite bands’ sets? Additionally, they were selling some of their merchandise, including some of their collaborations with The Offspring and Sum 41.

One of my favorite spots at the festival was the shared corner of Punk Rock Paintbrushes and Beatbox Beverages. Columns with various art pieces, including signed drum heads by some of the headliners for fans to bid on, and walls decorated with different tributes to the iconic bands on the lineup were up for sale. As a Bay Area native, the Green Day painting by Darren Vorel made me so excited—the numerous allusions to the band’s illustrious career, combined with the tribute to their Bay Area roots, was so cool to see, and I loved getting to reflect on so many of the references. I’m sure a very lucky fan was thrilled to take it home. Beatbox were also selling their delicious beverages, and I picked up a Hard Tea to sip between evening sets. At 11.1% alcohol and several different flavors, they’re a great choice if you want to party!

I finally decided it was time to grab dinner around 6 PM, so Ashley from Substream Magazine and I headed out to search for something good to eat. Everything sounded so good, but we finally decided to pick up some grilled cheese sandwiches before catching our next sets of the night. She chose to see 30 Seconds to Mars, but I wanted to see Movements, so there were definitely some hard choices for any attendees. Luckily enough, I was able to see the last few songs of The Front Bottoms while waiting for Movements. I’ve heard good things about The Front Bottoms, and their fans were in full effect, even as Good Charlotte graced one of the main stages. Singing along to their biggest hits, including “Au Revoir (Adios)” and Twin Size Mattress,” the crowd was electric, hitting beach balls in the air and opening up the pit. 

Movements have been finding some success on TikTok recently, but I can’t quite blame anyone: Feel Something is such a classic fall album, so it’d make sense that it’d be on repeat as the weather cools down. I’ve been a fan of them since they opened for Knuckle Puck in 2017, and I’m so glad they were on this lineup. Their latest release, RUCKUS!, was accompanied by a nearly sold-out US tour, as the band headlined their biggest rooms to date. With a setlist jam-packed with fan favorites, it was cathartic to scream along to “I Hope You Choke!,” “Third Degree,” and “Daylily.” Summer may be over, but that only means it’s Movements season, and we’re excited for more.

After Movements, I stuck around to see Waterparks, another band I couldn’t imagine missing. Since discovering them before Warped Tour 2016, I’ve been a massive Waterparks fan, seeing them over 10 times in at least five different states. I’ve even interviewed Awsten before for our magazine, which was a bucket list item for me. My friends and I ran into the band in the press tent earlier in the day, and I was able to give Awsten a Kinda Cool Mag bracelet to thank him for working with us in the past. It was good to see the familiar giant red tennis balls on stage, as the trio opened up their set with the electrifying “Numb.” I felt like I was being transported back to their spring headline tour, singing along to some staples from their usual setlist, including “FUNERAL GREY” and “FUCK ABOUT IT,” which they recently submitted for Grammy consideration. Admittedly, it was a bit difficult to know that their set overlapped with Blink-182, but their fans wouldn’t even dream of missing the band’s dynamic performance. With their first US performance of their newest single “Sneaking Out of Heaven,” I watched proudly as the crowd went wild during “REAL SUPER DARK,” and I obviously had to get one crowdsurf in during “Turbulent.” Yet another great Waterparks set!

After Waterparks, I had to see a bit of Blink-182’s set. The pop punk legends have been a mainstay of the genre for several decades, and it’s even cooler that they’re still releasing new music. There was even a corner of the festival dedicated to their latest album, and fans loved posing with the album cover. So many of the artists on the lineup have cited Blink as a big influence on their careers, and it’s hard not to recognize how iconic their songs are, regardless of your personal music taste. The setlist was just back-to-back hits; from “First Date” to “Aliens Exist” to “Bored to Death,” fans were rocking out from the very front to the back of the crowd. 

Even though it was hard to miss any part of Green Day’s set, I couldn’t imagine missing Jean Dawson. I was first introduced to his music with his 2020 record, Pixel Bath, and I’ve been a big fan ever since then. Featuring his latest hit collaboration with SZA, “NO SZNS,” the setlist revitalized the crowd, bringing the energy for Dawson’s signature songs, such as “THREE HEADS*” and “SICK OF IT*.” I was happy to see quite a few fans show up for him—the friends behind me were so excited to hear him play!

Before the night ended, it was time to hear a few songs from Green Day. One of my earliest memories was listening to “21 Guns” on MTV (back when MTV played music videos), and one of the first concerts I went to with my dad was Live 105.3’s Not So Silent Night, where Green Day headlined a packed Oracle Arena. I’m a proud Bay Area native, and it’s always a treat to see them play. I was excited that they shouted out California and even more stoked when they asked if anyone was from the Bay Area before launching into “Longview” and “Burnout.” Their set was also full of hits, including the lead single from their upcoming album. Performing over 20 songs from their remarkable discography, I watched from the back of the crowd, as a mini pit opened amongst a few fans. That only goes to show that there’s no such thing as a bad thing in a punk crowd: you can have fun wherever you end up. Opening with the classic “American Idiot” and ending with “Good Riddance,” getting to rock out alongside fellow fans was the perfect way to finish off a great day.

Overall, I’m so grateful that I had a chance to attend When We Were Young and cover it for Kinda Cool. Even though the heat could have made a long day miserable, nobody seemed to leave without having a good time. Fans of all ages enjoyed their favorite bands alongside thousands of other dedicated fans, and I wasn’t the only one who was reminded of the good old Warped Tour days. It truly was a tribute to the teenage rebellion we all know and recognize—from the displays that looked like every pop punk/emo kid’s bedroom to the bands that raised us all, it fit the festival title perfectly. All in all, thank you so much to When We Were Young for the great memories amongst wonderful people and artists!