All Time Low and Sleeping with Sirens: Back to the Future Hearts Tour

All Time Low and Sleeping with Sirens w/ Neck Deep
ShoWare Center, Kent, WA
10.28.15

It’s been a big year for Maryland pop-punk band All Time Low. Twelve years in, the foursome have finally clocked their first number one album on the UK charts with their sixth full-length release Future Hearts. And since its April release, the band has been back to their non-stop touring life – this time accompanied by Sleeping With Sirens for the co-headlining “Back to the Future Hearts” tour – and the pairing is perfect.

Kicking off their set silhouetted behind a white curtain, ATL started with the anthemic “Satellite” and the crowd went wild, chanting along through a set list covering most of the latest album as well as some fan-favorite oldies. By the time they got to the third song, “Lost in Stereo” from 2009’s Nothing Personal, guitarist Jack Barakat had already begun to accumulate a collection of bras being thrown from the young ladies in the crowd.

There were girls in the crowd dancing topless, while the band bantered about the arena’s chill (it’s also used as an ice rink for the Seattle Thunderbirds hockey team). “Weightless” and the acoustic “Conderblock Garden” both had the audience singing right along, before the band played a game of audience choice. They had the crowd scream their preference for either “Remembering Sunday” or “Therapy” and the winning “Therapy” saw lead vocalist Alex Gaskarth performing solo on acoustic guitar, a crowd full of lit up cell phones in the air. Before the surprisingly country-tinged “Missing You,” Gaskarth told a grateful story about their music becoming a real part of their fans’ lives.

While the band pulls off their head-bopping pop-punk sound and garners a youthful fan base with ease, they also come off as sincere and appreciative of what they’ve worked for relentlessly over the years.

Sleeping With Sirens brought a higher level of energy to the stage, the six member alt-rock group bounding around, vocalist Kellin Quinn climbing the speakers and attacking his bright green handheld mic with characteristic desperation. The arena felt a bit off for them, and having seen them in a smaller, more intimate venue, this one lost some of its urgency and closeness, but the band still puts on a great live show.

The impressive vocal range of Quinn, his über-high falsetto, matched with a power-punk scream, is the definitive descriptor for the SWS sound. And at the same time, their music itself is also incredibly catchy and played with spotless musicianship. As usual, the set list covered a nice range and they included a few acoustic tracks, like “With Ears to See, and Eyes to Hear,” and “Roger Rabbit.”

Welsh openers Neckdeep brought their own fast-paced dose of brashness in pop-punk delivery while Japan’s One OK Rock showed up with their dark, chaotic alt-rock, punk screams, and impressive energy.

Catch the Back to the Future Hearts tour here.

All Time Low Set List
Satellite
Kicking & Screaming
Lost in Stereo
A Love Like War
Dancing with a Wolf
Backseat Serenade
Weightless
Cinderblock Garden
Therapy
Missing You
Do You Want Me (Dead?)
Don’t You Go
Poppin’ Champagne
Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don’t)
Old Scars / Future Hearts
Encore
Kids In The Dark
Something’s Gotta Give
Dear Maria, Count Me In

Sleeping With Sirens
Kick Me
Do It Now Remember It Later
We Like It Loud
Go Go Go
Tally It Up, Settle the Score
Fly
Gold
The Strays
Scene Five: With Ears to See, and Eyes to Hear
Scene Two: Roger Rabbit
Parasites
Congratulations
Better Off Dead
Don’t Say Anything
If You Can’t Hang