Philadelphia-based pop-punk band The Wonder Years did not disappoint when they decided to visit the Roxian Theatre on Oct. 14 to play the groundbreaking album “The Greatest Generation” in full for its 10 year anniversary. Fans had been eagerly waiting for the “Greatest Generation” to have its moment in the spotlight after its precursors “The Upsides” and “Suburbia I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing ” were given a tour last year.
This album was revolutionary for both the fanbase and the band. “The Greatest Generation” was put out in 2014, when most of the Wonder Years fanbase was going through the same hardships as singer Dan “Soupy” Campbell and the rest of the band. This album was personal and vulnerable for everyone involved since they were all going through unrestrained adulthood; some had lost a sense of direction and purpose in their lives and others had felt depersonalized and out of touch with the world.
Mental health, heartbreak, drug and alcohol addiction and wealth inequality are all dominant themes that became common ground for future albums. Musically, this album was on a whole other level. The typical pop-punk riffs, chords and song structure had been ditched in 2013.
Anxious, Sweet Pill, and Action/Adventure opened up for the band. Each one of the opening acts were up-and-coming artists.
The recognizable energy and musicianship heard on the album had been replicated for the stage. Guitarists Casey Cavelier, Matt Brasch, Nick Steinborn and Josh Martin soothed us with their intricate and heartfelt melodies. The only differences from the live show and the original album were the slight improvisation with the guitar solos and Josh Martin’s drum fills. The maturity and tirelessness of the voices belonging to Campbell can also be heard. Overall, the slight differences did not impact the overall performance.
The emotion from the audience could be cut with a knife. Attendees sang along to every word that was sung to them and they listened intently to every anecdote and speech that Dan Campbell announced in between each song.
The banter in the beginning of the show was put on hold. The guitarists, in order to allow the lead singer to take medication for his migraine, decided to host a pick-throwing contest to see who could hit the mixing table in the back of the Roxian Theatre small pit. A slew of guitar picks were thrown into the crowd. This exchange hyped up the already roused up audience for the rest of the show.
Every song, from singles like “There, There” and “Dismantling Summer” to lesser-heard songs like “Chaser” and “A Raindance in Traffic,” received the same amount of audience participation and appreciation. The band themselves were shocked by how loud the audience was at the end of the night.
“I Just Want To Sell Out My Funeral” is the ultimate album closer – an emotional and intense collision of bits and pieces of the songs that made the album great. This moment at the show was one of the strongest and everybody put all of their energy into the nearly eight minute song.
The Wonder Years could have easily just played the whole album and concluded the night, but they decided to perform some extra songs for their encore. They played singles off of their most recent album “The Hum Goes on Forever:” “Local Man Ruins Everything” and “Cardinals.” The band concluded the night with “Came Out Swinging,” their breakthrough song that was released in 2011.
Even though “The Greatest Generation” was the first pessimistic album from the band, the impact of the album can still be understood today. It appealed to multiple generations around the world and allowed listeners to find someone to relate to. “The Greatest Generation” by The Wonder Years stands the test of time and it was an honor seeing the album be performed live.
