(Photo courtesy of Riley Fontana) “Lead singer Alex Gaskarth dons glasses thrown by a fan during song “Modern Love”.

Riley Fontana
Connector Editor

All Time Low attempted to kick off their “Sound of Letting Go” tour on Sept. 8 in Timonium, Maryland at the Maryland State Fair. Due to an unforeseen thunderstorm, the show was canceled for everyone’s safety. The band was able to fully start the tour in Boston, Massachusetts at MGM Music Hall on Sept. 10.

Lauran Hibberd, Greyscale and Gym Class Heroes all opened for All Time Low, bringing a wonderful mix of new and old music to the stage. This was Lauren Hibberd’s first tour in the United States, and she brought incredible passion and strong vocals to the stage; Hibberd electrified the crowd from the very start of her set. Greyscale brought a much slower energy to the stage, giving the crowd a chance to catch their breath. It was an amazing set, but their overall sound was slower and more relaxed compared to the other two openers. The last band to take the stage before All Time Low was Gym Class Heroes, who have been in the music scene longer than any other band. Gym Class Heroes brought out all of their hit songs, much to the delight of the crowd. Among the members of Gym Class Heroes was an ASL interpreter, making their set accessible to those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

The main show consisted of a mix of All Time Low’s older music sprinkled with songs from their new album. The song choices pleased everyone in the crowd, especially the older fans. There were songs played that had not been played live in several years, along with two songs that changed each night of the show.

All Time Low chose to jump on the bandwagon of mystery songs — theirs were colloquially called wildcards — having two per show. The first wildcard song was voted on by the fans before the show began. Fans were able to choose between four songs, including “The Irony of Choking on a Lifesaver,” “Outlines,” “Kids in the Dark” and “Backseat Serenade.” All of these songs are off older albums, making it feel much more special for long-time fans. This being the first night of the tour meant that there were bumps in the road. There were technical difficulties which resulted in lead singer Alex Gaskarth playing rock-paper-scissors with a fan in the crowd to kill time.

The other wildcard song was supposed to consist of a casino slot machine spinner. The songs on this spinner included “Vegas,” “Jasey Rae,” “Umbrella” and “Coffee Shop Soundtrack.” Due to a medical emergency, the spinner was not used in Boston. However, fans at other shows got to experience the excitement of a second mystery song.

Midway through the Boston show, All Time Low played the song the tour is named after: “The Sound of Letting Go.” In a very surprising move, Gaskarth jumped into the tightly packed crowd during the song. No one was expecting this, creating chaos in front of the stage. He relied on the fans’ help to get in and out of the crowd, leaving everyone with an unforgettable moment.

This was only the first full show of All Time Low’s second tour of 2023, with their first tour, “Tell Me I’m Alive,” having wrapped over the summer. This fall tour feels completely different, making it a great celebration of the new songs they could not play the first time around. This tour promises to appeal to new and old fans, with plenty of surprises for everyone.