On Sunday, November 22nd, with ringing ears, a sore throat, and an aching head, I exited the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville after seeing my favorite band, All Time Low, for a second time. The Baltimore pop-punk quartet consists of Alex Gaskarth on vocals and guitar, Jack Barakat on guitar, Zack Merrick on bass, and Rian Dawson on drums, and they have been making both music and memories since 2003. After waiting in a line that snaked around the perimeter of the enormous parking lot, I went inside to the venue. Instead of standing in the pit, where all of the infamous action is, I went to the main floor with my friend with only a slightly obstructed view. Surrounded by girls and guys clad in All Time Low T-shirts and sweatshirts, I waited in anticipation while clips from the band’s unofficial movie, “Straight to DVD”, were projected onto a screen. I laughed at the band’s infantile humor and sang along to the soundtrack made up of the band’s own songs, playing some of their hits like “Weightless”, “Lost In Stereo”, and “Keep the Change, You Filthy Animal”. All the while, I couldn’t keep my excitement at bay, considering that this would be the second time that I would be seeing my favorite band live.

At around 8:30, I heard a guitar chord strike and immediately sensed the anticipation in the air. Before I knew it, I was witnessing my favorite band literally taking the stage- Alex took center stage, Jack’s energy could not be contained to one location, Rian took his standard spot in the back of the stage, and Zack set up to Alex’s right, slinging his bass over his shoulder. The band soon demonstrated their prowess by opening with the dynamic “Kickin’ and Screaming”, a song from their most recent album from April, Future Hearts. Presenting lyrics like “Say hello to all my little nightmares, they’re right here, I know them well…” and featuring crashing drums from Rian and guitar riffs from Jack and Alex, the band provided the perfect opening. When I saw them live in April, the band had opened with Satellite, another song from Future Hearts with a slower sound but a powerful message, and both were perfect ways to please the crowd. During this performance, there wasn’t even a setlist, so every song was a new surprise.

After “Kickin’…” came “A Love Like War”, an explosive single from the band’s 2014 album, Don’t Panic! While the song originally featured Vic Fuentes from Pierce the Veil singing vocals on the track, Alex sang the song on his own at the Starland show. The April show featured Jenna McDougall from Tonight Alive overtaking Fuentes’ part, but I personally enjoyed this exclusive chance to hear Alex’s voice instead of guest vocals. “A Love Like War” was followed by a nostalgic classic, “Lost In Stereo” from their 2009 record Nothing Personal. The band reverted back to their young adult years of unrequited love, singing “She’s dancing alone, I’m ready to go, but she’s so lost in stereo… And I’m just like cellophane, cause she sees right through me…” Next, the band played “Don’t You Go” from Future Hearts, which I had personally never heard live and was completely unaware that they would play. “Don’t You Go” was one of my many favorites from the album, and I was not disappointed with how they played it live, with a catchy chorus and fast-paced guitar sections throughout the verses.

For the next two songs, the band slowed the sound down dramatically, replacing their electric guitars with acoustic ones to play “Cinderblock Garden” and “Missing You”. Before playing “Cinderblock Garden”, another hit from Future Hearts that I was seeing live for the first time, Alex gave a heartfelt speech about one of their best friends, Jason Gaviati, who had passed away from cancer only the day before. Alex specifically said “Before we play this next song, I just want to let you guys know that when we did the acoustic version of this song… Jason Gaviati actually did all of the piano and the string arrangements. What you’re hearing tonight is what we worked on together and I am…so privileged to have been able to work with him. I want to send this one out to him. Just pay attention to his genius during the song because it’s beautiful. I’m very glad to have known him.”

Although the audience could visibly see the toll that the bad news had taken on the members, with Jack even leaving the stage before “Cinderblock Garden” to compose himself, the song was still as beautiful as always. Gentle acoustic chords provided the perfect backdrop to lyrics like “We could make forever all our own, finding the gold in our darkest moments, watching the roads turning into white roses…” Zack’s backing harmonies during the chorus and the outro made the song even more unique than it already was, and in all, it was the perfect tribute to honor their lost friend. The band immediately followed up with another acoustic from Future Hearts called “Missing You”. Before playing the song, Alex mentioned how he wrote it about people in his life who were struggling from drug addiction, and how they had to take charge of their lives and get better. This track is one of my favorites off of Future Hearts because of its message, and it was incredible to hear Alex sing the words “It’s my life, I’m gonna take it back,and never for a second blame yourself… Don’t lose your fight, kid, it’s gonna take a little push to pull on through. With so much left to do, you’ll be missing out, and we’ll be missing you.”

After “Cinderblock Garden”, the band went back to their original pop-punk sound, playing “Weightless” and “Damned If I Do Ya, Damned If I Don’t”. “Weightless”, from Nothing Personal, is originally a fast-paced song, but Alex slowed it down for the first verse and chorus and had the audience take his place singing. After the first chorus, though, Rian played a rhythm on the drums and the venue immediately exploded with sound. The song swiftly transitioned into “Damned If I Do Ya, Damned If I Don’t”, also from Nothing Personal, which is a catchy song with a notable guitar riff that had everyone singing along. Finally, after “Damned…”, the band played another hit from Future Hearts, the aptly named “Old Scars/Future Hearts”. This is one of the most intense songs on the Future Hearts album, featuring loud electric guitars and a belted bridge that shows off Gaskarth’s vocal range. Although the song was played a half step down, like a few of the other songs, Alex’s vocal talent was still undeniable during the bridge, combined with perfectly timed puffs of smoke every other beat. After “Old Scars/Future Hearts”, the band took a quick intermission, but it was just the beginning of the incredible show.

On Twitter, Jack had alluded to this surprise, but it was still invigorating to hear All Time Low transform themselves into their 2006 selves, playing their entire Put Up or Shut Up record just for Jersey. They began with “Coffee Shop Soundtrack”, a hit single that displays the band’s pop-punk roots through its intro riff, power chords, and harmonies in the chorus. The other songs included “Break Out! Break Out!”, “The Girl’s A Straight Up Hustler”, “Jasey Rae”, “The Party Scene”, and “Running From Lions”, excluding the song “Lullabies” which was written by Alex after his brother passed away. Each song from Put Up or Shut Up placed heavy emphasis on harmonies, primarily in “The Girl’s A Straight Up Hustler” and “Jasey Rae”. Overall, this miniature setlist was definitely worth the wait, and the chance to hear it live was an incredible experience.

The band rounded off the concert with three more songs, with two of them being from Future Hearts. They first played two of the album’s most popular songs, “Kids in the Dark” and “Something’s Gotta Give”. The latter received considerable airplay on the radio because of its catchy pre chorus and chorus, and during the song, Alex changed up the lyrics, saying “I’m a cliche in a song, and Jersey’s singing along”. Although that lyric change had occurred during the April show that I attended, hearing those words still made me smile.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to end, and the band ended the night with their iconic song from So Wrong, It’s Right: “Dear Maria, Count Me In”. This song has become a staple at All Time Low concerts because it is always the closing song and accompanied by confetti cannons, and the Starland Show was no exception. As I sang to the lyrics that I had dedicated hours to memorizing late at night, I was stunned by the impact that music had. All around me, people shared the common ground of finding the band that impacted their life, and I could not have picked a better way to spend my night.

Throughout the concert, Alex and Jack bantered back and forth, which is a common All Time Low occurrence, but they would both occasionally make speeches about how they considered Jersey to be their second home. The Starland Ballroom show was actually a last-minute show, added on by the band just because they loved New Jersey so much. After the concert, Alex tweeted “Thank you, NJ. You’ve always been amazing to us. Tonight felt incredible. Really can’t say it enough. Much love.” Jack also tweeted “Special night. We’re lucky dudes… One of those shows you never forget.” While Zack and Rian didn’t comment on the Starland show, they have frequently been tweeting about the support that the fans have given them and how much they appreciate and love it. Although it may seem strange that I and others have devoted ourselves to people that we may never even meet, Alex manages to sum up my sentiments about All Time Low and the concert by saying “Loving a band with all your heart is only something you understand when it happens to you.”