When We Were Young 2024 (WWWY 2024) came back to Vegas, and it absolutely did not disappoint. While it felt a bit more mellow than previous years, there were still plenty of unforgettable moments that left me with some pretty fond memories. I feel like I saw a literal shit ton of bands, but for me, the absolute highlights were The Used and Thursday. Thursday hit the stage like it was 2004 all over again. Geoff Rickly’s stage presence and the powerful messages he delivered during and between songs brought back all the feels that made me fall in love with Thursday in the first place. Hearing them do this live was just the studded black belt on top of my nostalgia trip.
And then there was The Used. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a show of theirs that didn’t blow me away, and this one was no exception. The crowd’s energy was insane—hit after hit after hit. But just as they started ramping up for “Taste of Ink,” they got cut off. Cutting The Used off mid-anthem? Pretty fucked up if you ask me. But that didn’t stop a crowd full of fans from screaming along with Bert to finish out the song, which honestly was a magical moment.
I’d heard about some rumblings and seen some TikToks of chaos elsewhere with people breaking through barricades, but somehow, I missed all of it. From where I was, things actually felt more organized and calm than in previous years, which was a nice surprise. It felt like people were moving around the venue a bit more to see bands all over the place rather than just camping at the main stages which was nice to see.Still, there were unexpected crowd moments that left me a little stunned. For instance, seeing how few people showed up for Mom Jeans was surprising, especially considering how packed their stage was last year. Maybe this was confusion about where people were, or just some weird overlaps going on. IDK.
A surprising big win this year? The food options, especially for vegans and vegetarians. It wasn’t a complete taste explosion, but everything was easily accessible, and they had way more plant-based options than previous years. But the vendor setup? Pure chaos. Some lines were a nightmare, and the layout felt like a last-minute decision. They might want to rethink the layout next time to keep things a bit more streamlined (and of course $20 beers still blows my fucking mind).
Overall, I had a fantastic time, and the lineup was solid—even if it didn’t quite hit my personal scene as hard as in past years, there was always someone worth seeing. I’m already looking forward to next year, but I’m especially curious to see how things play out with the announcement of Warped Tour coming back. Although, Warped Tour hitting SoCal the same week as Comic-Con? I’m completely fucking stumped. Why the hell would they do that?!
It’s just a phase…