I won tickets to All Time Low’s Back to the Future Hearts tour through a ‘like and share’ on Facebook. Who knew those things could actually be won? No one. Absolutely no one.
I probably would’ve went anyway, I’ve seen them every year since 2010, but not having to pay was delightful.
For the last two years All Time Low have played here on St Patrick’s Day and and for the last six or so years they’ve played the Olympia Theatre. This time, they’ve come early and stepped up to the 3Arena with the production to boot.
Against The Current are a good band and lead singer Chrissy Costanza has a hell of good set of pipes. It’s hard not to compare female leads in rock to the likes of Hayley Williams or Tay Jardine so I won’t (but if you like them you’ll love her). The band’s biggest moment was their excellent cover of Uptown Funk and I definitely want to hear more from them.
Let’s get this straight – It was very weird and perhaps even slightly uncomfortable to see Good Charlotte supporting All Time Low. I have longed to see Good Charlotte live for some time but the arena setting didn’t feel like a good fit. Not to mention, Joel Madden seemed pissed off about who-knows-what for the first half of the set, going through the motions of songs like Girls and Boys and The Anthem.
I guess they’re pretty sick of playing Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. It has been 14 years, after all
However, something happened halfway through – the band played a (brilliant) new song, Makeshift Love, and Joel exuded passion and enthusiasm from there out. Even though this is the first Good Charlotte tour in five years, I guess they’re pretty sick of playing Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. It has been 14 years, after all.
Much like when Yellowcard supported All Time Low in 2010, there was no sense of bitterness amongst Good Charlotte over playing second fiddle to a band who grew up listening to them and it seemed like they were genuinely just all good friends helping each other out. Plus, Good Charlotte played The River so how could I not be pleased?
All Time Low are my favourite band to see live and there’s a reason why I keep going back to them. Usually I know what to expect from an All Time Low show but this was different, this was arena. The band entered from a rising platform and there was plenty of pyrotechnics and smoke. But none of this took away from what we were all there for and that was the music.
All Time Low continually put on great shows and there’s a reason why people return to them
The band released their sixth studio album Future Hearts last April to critical praise as it was filled with arena-rock anthems like Kids in the Dark and Runaways. These songs certainly delivered in the large setting that also made classics such as Coffee Shop Soundtrack sound even better.
Alex Gaskarth and Jack Barakat are known for their witty stage banter and not-appropriate-for-kids jokes and this night was no different in that respect. There was also a lovely moment when the band brought out their crew, a cake and a round of shots to celebrate the end of tour and their tour manager’s birthday.
![jackfalcone](https://evienotthepokemon.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/jackfalcone.jpg?w=640)
Overall, the show felt personal without being a mess. One of my favourite moments was when Joel Madden returned to sing Bail Me Out, telling a story about having to bail Barakat out of prison that I don’t think people realised was a joke. At least I think it was.
The song is one of the catchier ones on Future Hearts that definitely has Good Charlotte vibes.
![duetfalcone](https://evienotthepokemon.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/duetfalcone.jpg?w=640)
All Time Low closed the show with Dear Maria, Count Me In as they usually do and Barakat sent himself into the crowd during this, causing a security nightmare that’s always hilarious to watch.
It’s difficult to impartially review a band when you’ve seen them so many times but I will say this – All Time Low continually put on great shows and there’s a reason why people return to them. Their first arena outing in Ireland was fun and full of shiny production and tricks. Perhaps they’ll return to the Olympia next year and while I would definitely prefer this, it can’t be said that they didn’t give it everything they had.