State Champs brings their Living Proof tour to Seattle, WA
Popular Pop Punk band from Albany, New York , State Champs recently brought their Living Proof Tour to one of their favorite cities, Seattle, WA on surprisingly sunny spring day. The band is currently out on the road promoting their latest album Living Proof and brought along supporting band’s Grayscale, The Dangerous Summer, and Our Last Night to round out the lineup!
The first band to perform were fellow pop punkers Grayscale of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who kicked off the night with their song “Atlantic” from their 2017 released LP “Adornment”. Lead singer Collin Walsh immediately got the crowd involved with their set by getting them to sing along a task that wasn’t too hard for them since they share the same pop punk fan base as State Champs. The energy from their set radiated through the packed venue with concert goers crowd surfing to their favorite tracks and even starting a circle pit during “Mum”.
Veteran rockers, The Dangerous Summer were the second band of the evening, bringing their unique blend of alternative rock and pop rock sound to the crowd… literally! During the band’s last song singer, AJ Perdomo hopped into the crowd to perform “Infinite” a song off their ‘Self Titled’ album that came out last year. Fans who have been with the band for some time may recall the lull that this band hit for a few years with lineup changes and a slowdown in music releases, but with the performance elements they brought to their set, you would have never guessed this band was ever on a break.
Post hardcore band Our Last Night provided direct support on the tour. The band has gained quite the following from their metal covers of popular songs with just over 1.6 million subscribers on youtube it’s no surprise how loud the crowd was during their set! The boys of Our Last Night only slipped one cover into their set choosing to play mostly songs such as “Bury The Hatchet Now” and “Demons” off their just released album ‘Let Light Overcome’. The cover song the band chose to include was “Humble” by rap artist Kendrick Lamar, but with the individualized energy the band brought to it, you would never know it wasn’t their song. Choosing to close out their set with the slower track “Sunrise,” the band asked the crowd to light up the room with their lighters or cell phone flashlights, adding yet another element of good crowd inclusion to the evening.
At 10:30, the house lights dimmed and the long awaited headliners, State Champs finally took to the stage. Opening their set with the track “Criminal,” a solid hitter from the tour’s namesake album released last summer, the band and their fans were ready to rock the evening together. State Champs have always prided themselves on being a band that never neglects any fan favorite tracks, crafting a set list packed with new and old tracks alike from each of the band’s three albums, and even the acoustic track “If I’m Lucky” from their acoustic EP, which is performed on stage solely by lead singer Derek DiScanio and an acoustic guitar, giving him and the crowd a chance to connect on a new level. When not wowing the crowd with his ability to slow down for a minute, DiScanio makes use of the entire stage with the pop punk energy fans know and love, ripping through track after track, as fans sing along, crowdsurf, and rock out. Lead guitarist Tyler Szalkowski and bass player Ryan Scott Graham waste no space either, switching sides on the stage frequently to garner their own crowd engagement.
If you missed the “Living Proof” tour which wrapped up last month. You can catch State Champs this summer. The band will have a short break from touring before heading to Europe for several festival appearances before returning to the US to take part in a Warped Tour replacement festival of sorts aptly named Sad Summer Fest, featuring fellow Warped Alums the Maine, Mayday Parade, The Wonder Years, and more. Click HERE to see if the band is coming to a city near you!
Written by Natalie Valasek
All Photos by Sarina Solem | Instagram - Twitter - Website |
GRAYSCALE
The Dangerous Summer
OUR LAST NIGHT
State Champs
