By Sarah Rutz
photos by Amy Willard
Just two weeks ago, All Time Low released their latest studio album, Nothing Personal. The album has since sold more than double what their 2007 album, So Wrong It’s Right, sold, and held no. 4 on the Top 40 albums since its release. The band did a short tour of ‘secret shows’, with friends We The Kings, Cartel and Days Difference. On Thursday, July 16th, they played to a sold-out crowd in Cleveland, where the last time that they played in the city was on the Believers Never Die tour with Fall Out Boy, Hey Monday, Metro Station and Cobra Starship.
Days Difference opened up the show with their melodic pop-rock. The four piece Virginia based band played a short set, but even as the newcomers that not a lot of people in the crowd knew, they were able to get the crowd moving and excited about the remaining three bands.
Next up was Cartel. Cartel is working on their newest album, Cycles, so not only did they play several old songs, they played two or three new songs. Let Go, a song that was streamed on AbsolutePunk.net, was played to obvious crowd approval and delight. A lot of the kids in the crowd seemed to be more excited for Cartel than they were for anyone that night, and part of it might have been that Cartel had been silent for a little while prior to this tour. Lots of kids said that this was their first time seeing Cartel, despite that they had wanted to see them for a really long time. Nevertheless, Cartel’s set was energetic and exciting and a general crowd-pleaser. The single, Let Go, can be purchased on iTunes on July 28th, and the album is expected to be released later this year.
We The Kings had just been in Cleveland a little over three months ago, instead on the Bamboozle Road Show. That day it had been Travis Clark’s birthday, and the July 16th show had the same energy that that show did. We The Kings is always a band that crowds love, if not because of their personable band members, then because their infectious personalities seep through into their music. Crowd favorites like ‘Check Yes Juliet’ and ‘Skyway Avenue’ were played to an upbeat and room completely in motion. We The Kings never fails to put on an amazing show, and Thursday was no exception. As the direct opener for headliner All Time Low, We The Kings got everyone so pumped up that everyone was teeming with excitement by the time All Time Low took the stage.
Opening with ‘Lost In Stereo’, a fan favorite from their latest album, All Time Low took the stage by storm (Dear Maria pun, aha) to an overexcited and anxious crowd. All Time Low’s shows are always exciting—part of it is the music, part of it is the personalities of the boys on stage. The onstage banter that happens amongst the band members always warrants a laugh out of nearly everyone present, even if some 
parents might be a little uncertain about what’s being discussed. All Time Low manages to appeal to a wide age range, and always plays consistently with just as much vigor and enthusiasm as before. They played several new songs, mixed in with songs from previous albums, creating a good mix for people who maybe haven’t had the time to learn every single word to all of their songs. The show closed out with an all time favorite, Dear Maria, Count Me In, and brought their impressive light, sound and personality show to an end.
Overall it was a very exciting concert to attend. Cleveland was just one stop on their two week stint before hopping on Warped Tour, which is where you can catch them now. We The Kings will be joining Warped Tour in August.
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