Las Vegas Festival Sees Blink-182 Reunions, Panic! at the Disco’s First Performance since Disbandment
The When we Were Young festival in Las Vegas delivered a weekend of nostalgia and surprise collaborations, highlighted by a rare performance from Panic! at the Disco and a series of guest appearances during sets by blink-182 and other artists. The festival, known for its emo and pop-punk lineup, drew tens of thousands of fans eager to relive the sounds of the early 2000s and witness unexpected musical pairings.
The event featured Blink-182 frontman Deryck Whibley joining ex-wife Avril Lavigne onstage Sunday for a rendition of his band’s hit ”In Too Deep.” Saturday saw Lavigne welcome Simple Plan singer Pierre Bouvier for a performance of “Young & Dumb,” while All Time Low debuted a live version of their 2020 single “Monsters” with Blackbear. Notably, Panic! at the Disco played its first show as announcing its breakup in early 2023, performing its debut album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, in full to commemorate its 20th anniversary.
“I want to say thank you for 20 years of chaos and beauty,” Panic! at the Disco’s lead singer Brendon Urie told the crowd during Saturday’s performance.
The festival also saw performers aligning themselves with current political movements. The Offspring’s guitarist Noodles wore a “No Kings” T-shirt in support of protests against the Trump administration, and Story of the Year’s bassist Adam Russell sported a shirt reading “destroy american Fascism.” During The used’s set,a “Freedom for Palestine” flag was displayed,with singer Bert McCracken receiving cheers after declaring,”Freedom for fucking Palestine!”
