By dusk, Freedom Mortgage Pavilion had that crackling pre-show thrum—merch lines curling, rail already staked out, and the lawn turning into a patchwork of blankets and band tees. When the house lights dipped and the LED strips flared, the chatter snapped to a roar. Fuse lit.
State Champs opened like they had something to prove. Tight and punchy, all bounce and big choruses, they turned the first half hour into a pop-punk clinic. Derek DiScanio’s vocal sat right on top of the mix, drums snapped, and the sing-backs started early. By the time “All You Are Is History” and “Secrets” hit, the floor was moving in wide waves and the barricade had that “okay, it’s on” look from security.
Yellowcard rode in on a different current—nostalgia without the dust—and introduced the night’s first pyro mid-set. Ryan Key sounded strong, the band locked, and Sean Mackin’s violin cut through like a lead guitar with wings. “Only One” had phones up and voices out; then the finale, “Ocean Avenue,” turned the pavilion into a single choir as confetti blasted and pyro hit again. It didn’t feel like a throwback—it felt alive.
Then A Day To Remember walked out and hit the gas. This is the band’s sweet spot: pop-punk hooks built to shout, metal-edge breakdowns built to detonate. “The Downfall of Us All” was a full-body chant, those “da-da-da-das” ricocheting from pit to lawn; “All I Want” turned the venue into one giant jump-rope; “Miracle” dropped the hammer and reminded everyone how heavy the catalog can get. Mid-set, “If It Means a Lot to You” pulled the pavilion into a sea of lights—proof ADTR can yank the heartstrings as hard as they pull the floor out. Old cuts and newer singles traded haymakers, transitions stayed crisp, and the pacing never let the energy leak.
Three bands, three flavors, one through-line: crowd connection. State Champs lit the fuse, Yellowcard fed the memory bank, and A Day To Remember cashed it all in with a headliner built to level rooms. Camden got the full experience—loud, sweaty, and exactly what people came for.
A Day To Remember Tour
