Elder Emos Unite for All Your Friends Festival with Fall Out Boy, Jimmy Eat World, and More!

Day 2 of the All Your Friends Festival at Burl’s Creek in Oro Medonte, Ontario was something special to behold. Just looking at the line-up, I could feel the inner emo kid inside of me from high school trying to claw his way out. The festival grounds, complete with life-size displays for photo ops, welcomed everyone with a giant acoustic guitar, a miniature stage to recreate your rock star dreams, as well as the All Your Friends festival logo accompanied with their neon pink x’s standing on either side. With the main stage situated on the north side of the grounds and the tent stage at the south, bringing festival-goers together in the middle was a plethora of food trucks, carnival games, as well as fair rides, with all eyes going to the ferries wheel in the middle of it all. Not to forget a tent set up for all your artist’s merchandising needs. Today was about to be great as 11 bands and artists were all behind the scenes, warming up for a day to remember.

Kicking off the start of the day, Full Throttle made their way onto the tent stage as the first round of festival attendees made themselves comfortable at the barrier to get a first look at the first artist’s performance. The band established in 2020 comes from London, Ontario, and is made up of members Kaelin Chase on the drums, Evan Levite on bass, and Max McGill on vocals and guitars. The band, while still early in their career, proved how much potential they have as members of the punk community as they wowed the early crowd with their performance.

First up to the main stage is the Canadian band The Stereos. Hailing from Edmonton, I remember watching the band’s music videos pop up on the Much Music Video Countdown in 2009, and could recall the feelings of how fast I needed to add their tracks to my iPod shuffle. As the band made their way onto the stage, lead singer Pat emerged and I couldn’t help but think how iconic his Dolly Parton shirt was. The band got those who were gripping the barrier of the mainstage singing and dancing in the early afternoon sun. Performing a mixture of songs from across their albums including their iconic tracks “Turn it Up”, “Throw Ya Hands Up” and “Summer Girl”, I was happy to have been able to cross The Stereos off my list of “wanting to see live” artists.

Keeping the energy high SUCKERPUNCH! arrived next on the festival’s lineup. Arriving at Burl’s Creek from Montreal, the band showed off their incredible and high-energy skills to the concert attendees, getting everyone roaring with cheers, and rocking their hands in the air. Moving about the stage, laughing amongst each other, showing off their instrument shredding, and their endless talent, SUCKERPUNCH! was truly a band that one must see to behold.

Charlotte Sands was up next. I had been seeing photos of her from her last tour pop up online and seeing how fun she looked to photograph, I was excited to be able to finally do so myself. Announcing to the crowd at All Your Friends Festival, Charlotte informed everyone that this was her first time performing in Canada. There is always something inside of me that feels warm when I hear an artist say that, as I feel like I’m witnessing history in the making, Moving about the stage, flipping her hair around, and providing strong and fun vocals for the crowd, Charlotte proved how powerful of an artist she truly was. Performing songs such as “pity”, “Bad Day,” and “spite”, Charlotte proved to her Canadian fans how one can make a strong impact being newer in the punk music scene.

Taking to the stage next in the lineup was Fefe Dobson. I remember listening to her music growing up with my sister, and dancing and singing to all her greatest hits. Opening with her song “Ghost”, Fefe Dobson wasted no time moving and grooving her way around the stage, showing the crowd that she is still as powerful as she was back when she debuted. Once Fefe Dobson removed her sunglasses, things got more serious, as she moved deeper into her set, getting closer to fans. Other songs that Fefe performed were “Everything”, “FCKN IN LOVE,” and “Stuttering”.

Grandson ran onto the main stage, and started his set with a bang! Opening with his song “6:00”, Grandson showed that he was an energetic force to be reckoned with. Moving about the stage in high fashion, Grandson was more of a hype machine than a performer. As we went on into the day, he still found ways to bring the highest energy out of everyone. Continuing deeper into his set, Grandson spoke with the crowd, mentioning how excited he was to be performing in Canada, and spoke about how he grew up not too far away from here. Performing songs like “Darkside” and “Apologize,” and finishing with one of my favourite songs of his, ”Blood // Water”, I was excited and proud to have been able to witness this spectacular performance.

Now the band I was extremely excited for, The Maine. One of my high school friends and I used to make each other playlists every couple of months and send them to each other to help and inspire one another to discover new artists. For me, The Maine was one of these artists. Seeing the band emerge onto the tent stage, I couldn’t help but feel my heart pound and excitement boil throughout me. A large banner hung behind them that said “You are watching a band called The Maine (now available in red)” as they opened up with their song “Bad Behavior.” Each member brought their own sense of energy, each rocking and showing off how entertaining they can be. Performing more of their greatest songs like “Slip the Noose”, and “Numb Without You”, the band closed out their set by bringing Charlotte Sands on stage with them to perform “Loved You A Little” together.

The Plain White T’s were the next headliners for the main stage. The band made their way to the stage as echoes of Snowd4y and Drake’s song “Wah Gwan Delilah” echoed out across the festival grounds. The band wasted no time in getting into the set as they opened up with their songs “Feeling (More Like) Myself” and “Would You Even”. With visually moving backdrops, this was the first performer of the night to use the main stage screens to their advantage, with their name flickering in different fonts while different designs flashed in the background. Closing with their songs “Hey There Delilah” and “Rhythm of Love”, the Plain White T’s welcomed in the remaining three bands.

Dashboard Confessional was the final performance at the tent stage for the All Your Friends Festival. Emerging through thick plumes of stage fog, the band got right into position and kicked off with their songs “Don’t Wait”, “The Sharp Hint of New Tears”, and “Belong”. Each band member grooved their way across the stage, jamming with one another, yet making sure that the crowd was getting their fair share of close-ups as some members would perform on the edge of the speakers. Dashboard Confessional played perfectly in unison, closing out with their songs “Vindicated” and “Hands Down”. Thanking the crowd, all festival attendees made their way to the main stage for the final two performances of the night.

The main stage backdrop flicked to life as Jimmy Eat World opened with “A Praise Chorus” with the sun setting across the crowd allowing the stage lights to shine to their fullest. As the band invested more time into their set, the crowd amped up louder and louder, screaming and jumping, yet being respectful of elbow room for one another. Deeper into their set, you could hear the words of “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” echo through the trees and fields as Jimmy Eat World performed a cover of Taylor Swift’s iconic song, giving a unique spin on the melody. With the sun slipping behind the horizon and the darkness of the night sky almost in full swing, Jimmy Eat World closed their legendary set with their song “The Middle”.

The final act of the night was finally here, and one I had been especially excited to see. Fall Out Boy holds a special place in my heart, as they were one of the first bands to bring the scene kid in me out. I cannot count how many times I probably annoyed my friends with their album Save Rock & Roll. Opening with their songs “Chicago Is So Two Years Ago”, and “Grand Theft Autumn/ Where Is Your Boy,” Fall Out Boy was alive with heavy-sounding instruments, strong vocals, and lots of pyrotechnics. Every so often, a firecracker would blast echoing across the crowd, adding even more flair to what everyone was witnessing on stage.

Fall Out Boy’s setlist was divided up by their albums, starting with performing tracks from their albums Take This To Your Grave, From Under The Cork Tree, and Infinity on High. Moving deeper into their set, and wowing everyone with incredibly vivid visuals, each band member took turns speaking to the crowd about how the music industry is always changing, and thanks to fans, they have been able to do so many things that they never thought they would have been able to do. Later on, the band joked that Canada is one of their favourite places to perform as they mentioned we have a great climate, closeness to nature, and free healthcare. I watched in awe as Fall Out Boy performed songs from Save Rock & Roll as flames shot hundreds of feet into the air during “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)”.

As the night went on, Fall Out Boy performed more iconic tracks of theirs like “Uma Thurman,” “So Much (for) Stardust,” and “Centuries,” before ending the night on a high note with “Saturday.”

All Your Friends Festival was something unique and incredible to have been given the amazing opportunity to witness. With a day full of nostalgia and heartwarming feelings, the memories I created would make my high school self scream with excitement. I look forward to seeing what All Your Friends Festival offers next year!