It’s no surprise that All Time Low are still one of the most popular alt-rock bands on the planet. They’ve been making amazing music for over a decade and were one of the original, famous MySpace bands. With the release of their seventh studio album, Last Young Renegade, the group have proven their staying power by filling the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago to the top with screaming fans of all ages.
All Time Low were signed in 2003 when lead singer Alex Gaskarth and guitarist Jack Barakat were just 16 years old. Alongside their drummer Rian Dawson, the band started off in high school by covering Blink-182 songs and were signed by Emerald Moon Records in 2004. After releasing their first EP, the band went on Warped Tour in 2007 and were brought to a wide audience of pop-punk lovers. The band has developed a huge fanbase over the last 10 years, ranging from 14-year-old Hot Topic girls to college punks.
Opening their Chicago show with other pop-punk bands Waterparks and SWMRS (both of whom had their own core fan base and ramped up the crowd considerably), All Time Low seemed a little intimidated by the huge stage. The Aragon is a massive ballroom, and the stage is over 8 feet high. Unlike some of their other shows, ATL weren’t able to get as close to their fans as they’d liked. Even with this barrier, they invited fans to run onto the stage for their final songs. Complete with huge amounts of confetti and balloons, the band showed why they can sell out small clubs and giant ballrooms and be connected to the fans through it all.
