MP3 TAKES: When We Were Young paints Vegas black

Introducing MP3 TAKES, our event review series where we dive deep into the exhilarating world of music festivals and live performances. In an era teeming with music events worldwide. Our aim is to help you navigate through the noise and uncover the most captivating experiences. Join us on this adventure to highlight the memorable moments, and unique elements that made When We Were Young an unforgettable weekend.

Everyone knows nostalgia is selling, and who doesn’t want to feel like a kid again? For three years now When We Were Young has made aging millennials feel young again. And for one fun filled weekend of the year thousands of elder emos descend on the Las Vegas strip, entirely transforming the city.

Imagine spending a weekend surrounded by your favorite people and all of your favorite bands; this is exactly what one of the biggest and most impressive emo fests gives you, and more. Upon entering the festival ground guests were immersed in When We Were Young branding and everyone was taking selfies under the arch to say “we were here.”

This year the crew at When We Were Young asked the bands playing to go way back in their catalog, so the festival attendees got treated to virtually all of the songs they wanted to hear.

A smart move on the marketing teams part, they released the lineup for Sick New World while all of their hardcore fans were all grouped together in Las Vegas. For those who don’t know, Sick New World is the sister festival to When We Were Young. The 2025 edition of Sick New World will be headlined by non other than Metallica and Linkin Park. Additional bands to be excited about are: Acid Bath, Dethklok, Evanescence, AFI, Queens of the Stone Age, Cannibal Corpse, Gojira and so many more. Presale tickets are available now for those who just cant get enough of of the nostalgia.

My Chemical Romance makes us sing and cry

Potentially the biggest emo band of all time, My Chemical Romance headlined two days of When We Were Young. The Bands set was full of so many beautiful moments and was a constant singalong keeping the crowd’s attention from start to finish. Everyone was treated to all of the songs they wanted to hear. Of course we got “Teenagers,” and “I’m Not Okay.” But we also all cried along to “I Don’t Love You.” This will be a lasting memory for years to come for everyone lucky enough to attend. 

Fall Out Boy makes us Dance Dance as we’re falling apart

Another one of the largest emo bands of all time Fall Out Boy co-headlined When We Were Young for two days. Taking us all back in time for a special moment together, we all sang every lyric at the top of our lungs. Sometimes the crowd was so loud the singer could put down the mic and let us take over.

For this set we took a trip through all the eras of Fall Out Boy, from their earliest hits to all of the bangers from the 2010’s. Seeing the stage decorated as interactive versions of all the cover art we know and love totally transported the crowd to where they were when they were all younger. 

A Day To Remember turns the When We Were Young into a mosh pit

Hands down the heaviest act of the weekend, the crowd definitely woke up for A Day To Remember. With small pockets of circle pits scattered across tens of thousands of people, we were ready to rage. The band put us through a full range of emotion. We sang, we cried, we hardcore danced and pushed some people. This set is exactly what this weekend needed to keep the energy up. 

Pierce The Veil returns to When We Were Young

Three years in a row Pierce the Veil has rocked When We Were Young. Freshly coming off tour with Blink-182, Pierce The Veil is still only growing in popularity. After all these years, the crowd still wants to hear the hits from their youth. This set was no different than the rest in the sense we all got to sing our hearts out the the biggest of hits. These hits included Caraphernelia and King for a Day, arguably their biggest and most fun songs to see live. 

FOLLOW WHEN WE WERE YOUNG: WEBSITE I FACEBOOK I INSTAGRAM I TIK TOK I X

Photo Gallery: