Stepping into the Uptown Theater downtown is like stepping into another time- an hours drive from suburbia and in the heart of the city, graffiti, and barbecue shops, is a beautiful concert venue. Pushing into the crowd to get a good seat on the balcony as the first band up to play, TonightAlive, was both amazing and terrifying as hundreds of bodies packed together fought to get closer. Leaning over the railing as music blasted and looking underneath, the crowd of people went all the way back to the doors. The first band to play to play, TonightAlive, is a very cute band that is cute while still being punk but with good morals. The second band, State Champs, was a lot more metal with a member who appeared to be designated screamer, but they all had great voices and great Pokemon references with banners and speakers. The opening numbers set the tone for the rest of the show, with the positive yet punk themes and nothing behind held back.

As the second band cleared the stage, the crowds were vibrating with excitement. When the lights went off and began flashing, all we could see were their silhouettes as they began their first song “Satellite” from their new album Future Hearts. The crowd screamed so loud voices cracked. When the lights that had been barely illuminating All Time Low, teasing us with their figures, and flashing to the beat stopped halfway through the song then turned red revealing the members of the band, people went into a frenzy as All Time Low smoothly transitioned into “The Irony Of Choking On A Lifesaver,” an older song of theirs. Between songs, the members of All Time Low told cute and funny stories and added commentary joking with each other. On Jack’s mic were an array of bras, which is his signature move, and on one song “Time-Bomb”, they brought up people on the floor to join them onstage and sing with them. ATL thanked people for supporting their new album, but unlike some other bands it was clear that they weren’t doing this tour simply to promote their new album to make money.

The Future Hearts concert’s name comes from ATL’s recently released sixth album and it debuted No. 2 on the Billboard 200, selling 75,000 copies in its first week according to billboard.com. “[The album title is] sort of an ode to the mindset we’ve had doing this over the years. We’ve always been looking ahead and we’ve always been looking to the future. Every time we’ve had a misstep, rather than freaking out and not being able to recover, we’ve always looked to what’s the next thing to do. I think that Future Hearts was just kind of a way to brand it, to figure out a way to sum that up. As we wrote the record and as it started to take shape, it’s what we landed on—that label for that mindset and that mentality. We, again, hope it sort of opens up and applies to our fans,” said Alex Gaskarth in an interview done by fuse.tv and more of the interview can be found here.

All Time Low put their hearts and souls into the performance and sweated their hearts out in that hot and humid room. In their set they mixed in songs from all their different albums, not just their newest one, for fans who didn’t know the new material well – so it wasn’t awkward. Most of their songs they played were their favorites or their most well-known fan-favorite songs, and hearing songs from long ago and being able to sing along is a great gift and throw back that they’ve put in their concert for people who were unable to go to their other concerts featuring those songs. As a fan of All Time Low for a long time, and being with a friend whose loved ATL since 2008, we could see how much they care for their fans and wanted to have a great time. At one point in the concert, Gaskarth went full acoustic for a few songs, and in those moments and their showcasing of their best songs it’s easy to see how this band has acquired their fame- their songwriting ability to write catchy and meaningful songs for any mood and they have complete mastery of their respective instruments.

To be finally able to see a band you’ve listened to for hours is a great feeling and brings back fun memories, while still creating new ones and showing that they will have a future in the music industry for a long time as they keep evolving and growing as artists. Even though their music is changing, they’ve kept their sound and their down to earth personalities, even as their already huge fame continues to grow. After the concert, lead singer Alex tweeted “Kansas City, thank you! Ya’ll were a great audience! Feel like I wasn’t quite on my game tonight but you kept me going. ” https://twitter.com/alexalltimelow, tweeted Alex Garskarth after the concert, but to all of us who’ve been waiting for years to see them in person, the concert was nothing less than perfect. Many videos of the concert have been posted on YouTube and can be found here.

Thank you All Time Low for the wonderful concert, knowing what the fans what, and being the same joyful funny dorks we’ve loved for years. Seeing their genuine love and excitement for what they do is why fans keep going to their concerts- I met one girl in line who said this concert was her 14th of theirs, and another who drove all the way from Texas to see them before her finals started that Monday. With fans excited to see what’s in store next, we’ll see you next time, ATL.

 Photo by sophomore Lauren Haught