Story of the Year: Will the When We Were Young Festival Be A Day to Remember, or Did Our Senses Fail?
The Las Vegas fairgrounds are set to host the inaugural show October 22 23, 2022.
Written By Tina Brice
This past weekend, tens of thousands of “Elder Emos” and “Sceneior Citizens” descended on to the Las Vegas Valley in hopes of reliving their best years. The When We Were Young Festival boasted a lineup reminiscent of the early 2000’s Warped Tour, including big names such as Paramore, My Chemical Romance, Avril Lavigne, and Bring Me the Horizon.
The first show was announced on January 18, 2022, with presale tickets becoming available January 21, 2022, at 10 a.m. Tickets were available to the general public starting at 2 p.m. that same day. The organizers underestimated the interest in the event, and tickets sold out within mere hours. They decided to add two more days, October 23 and 29, 2022, which sold out just as quickly.
Map of the Fairgrounds Posted on the Festivals Instagram
After the initial shock and excitement wore off, many people began to question the legitimacy of the event. How did they plan to host over 60 bands playing on the same day? The festival grounds couldn’t hold more than 6 stages, and so this meant quite a few bands playing concurrently. Fans began to ask if this event was doomed from the start, or a cover for Travis Scott and LiveNations’ Astroworld lawsuits. Many bands who were listed on the original lineup poster came out publicly to claim they had no knowledge of the event, leading to even more worry. Ticketholders were afraid they spent hundred of dollars on an event they would never get to see.
The short time between announcement and ticket sales led many to impulse buying the tickets leaving the fans to figure out the logistics after the fact. One fan from Dubai bought tickets prior to obtaining a Visa to even come to the United States. Unfortunately, her Visa was denied until March of 2023 and she was forced to sell her tickets for less than half of what she paid. Casinos and hotels began to raise prices, known as dynamic pricing, thanks to a sudden surge in bookings. Fans spent thousands of dollars for a single day event they weren’t even sure was real.
Beginning Wednesday Oct. 19, a black parade began to course through the city. The telltale signs of the “former emo” could be seen wherever one looked: tattoos, brightly colored hair, heavy black makeup, fishnets, and concert tees from bands and tours that had come and gone. There was a buzz to the city, a kind of nervous energy. Was the festival actually going to happen?
As of Friday night, everything was a go. But at 10 a.m. Saturday morning, the When We Were Young Instagram confirmed the doubts: the first day of the event was canceled less than an hour before doors were set to open. Severe windstorms were forecasted for the day. The winds were sustained at 30 to 40 mile per hour with gusts of up 70 miles an hour, meaning a dangerous environment for any outdoor activity let alone a music festival.
Cancellation Announcement from Instagram
When the announcement was made, the skies were still bright blue with a slight breeze leading fans to ask if this was really the case. Many Las Vegas natives spoke up to say that the weather can change in a split second, and that even though it is clear right now, it won’t be for long. A few hours later, users took to social media sites such as TikTok to show the severity of the winds. Some fans and bands commended the concert organizers for putting the safety of all involved ahead of profits.
Trying to soften the blow, many bands tried to do pop up shows all over the city. Senses Fail announced a concert at the Sand Dollar, a local dive bar, and tickets would be available on a first come first served basis. Minutes after the announcement was posted to Instagram, the line was four blocks long for a venue with a 140-person capacity. Fremont street became a giant “emo nite.” Thousands of fans sang along with the sound system blasting the top emo hits from the early 2000’s. The festival-related “emo nite” sideshow at Brooklyn Bowl sold out quickly. Some bands couldn’t get a last-minute event together and apologized to their fans.
Resale tickets for the Sunday show were available Friday Oct 21 for as low as $165, but on Saturday morning the prices had more than tripled. The preliminary videos from Sunday show strong winds still shaking the massive stage rigs, but this didn’t deter the fans. Immense crowds jumped, danced, and moshed as one. Fans crowd-surfed like they were in their teens again. Fans were able to enjoy many bands without leaving their spots thanks to rotating stages.
When We Were Young Festival announced the lineup for 2023 on October 11, 2022, almost two weeks prior to the first day happening. Tickets for the 2023 festival sold out in only two hours. When We Were Young is expected to become an annual event. The “rawring” twenties are here and sad fans couldn’t be happier.