All Time Low
November 23rd, 2012 // Rams Head Live // Baltimore, MD
Photos and Words by Cara Bahniuk
Growing up outside of Baltimore, MD, I have attended my fair share of All Time Low hometown shows (18 out of my 22 shows to be exact – whoops?). After leaving Maryland to go to college in Chicago, IL, I forgot what it was like to see a band play in their hometown, with all their family and close friends (and closer fans) cheering them on. When The Rockshow at the End of the World tour came through Baltimore, MD on November 24th at Rams Head Live, I was reminded of that hometown show energy.
I go to my fair share of shows at Rams Head Live, but arriving at the venue a little before doors on the oddly warm late-November day, I was blown away by the fans; bombarding the hallway leading to doors and spitting outside into the Power Plant Live plaza twirling through the sidewalks to make sure no one is left standing on the road. I haven’t seen a line like that since…well probably since the last time I saw All Time Low play Rams Head Live. If anything is for sure, it’s that All Time Low’s fans are dedicated as anything and can’t get enough of seeing their favourite band play a live show.
By the time I got inside the venue, it was PACKED. Kids wearing old and new ATL merch, as well as Ravens and Redskins jerseys, were standing barricade trying to hold their place and not let people push through and the merch lines were miles longs (alright maybe not MILES, but long).
Soon after doors, The Downtown Fiction took the stage. Being from Northern Virginia, I have also seen them play many hometown shows for many years. Although they were the opener and played a shorter set, the fans were singing and dancing along immediately. There was no need to pump the crowds energy up because it was already there from the second the music started. They played their hits such as ‘Your Voice’ and closed with ‘I Just Wanna Run’.
Hit The Lights came out with just as much energy as you would expect from them. They were joined by a special guest on the third song in their set. Matt Flyzik (All Time Low’s tour manager) took Nick’s place and sang an older song along with the rest of the band. I don’t know of any tour manager who is as popular among the fans as Matt is, so the crowd was obviously loving his special appearance. They closed their set with ‘Body Bag’ that went perfectly with one of the t-shirts they were selling that was covered in lyrics from the song.
The Summer Set came out and immediately started playing ‘Chelsea’, which was guaranteed to get the crowd moving. The Summer Set writes the catchiest tunes that you can’t help to dance along to at a show (or in your car) and combined with all members live energy, I don’t think anyone in Rams Head that night was standing still. John Gomez really gets the people moving as he bounces around the stage while Brian Dales never stays in one place for more than a few seconds max. They conveniently slipped in a brand new song ‘Fuck You Over’ in the exact middle of the set, which probably would have surprised everyone in attendance if we weren’t the second to last date. Everyone already knew all the lyrics to the song and were singing along with Dales and the rest of the band. Closing their set with ‘The Boys You Do’ definitely left the crowd wanting more, which made for perfect time for All Time Low to come out.
As the set lists were being taped to the stage, you could see the excitement on every fans face who were close enough to read. ATL played hits from all albums, including their Put Up Or Shut Up EP. Opening with The Reckless and the Brave, all attendees had their energy through the roof. About halfway through the set, ATL played ‘For Baltimore’. For a majority of cities (and countries), ‘For Baltimore’ is just a song off their newest album Don’t Panic but for Maryland residents it is so much more. All Time Low have always been proud Baltimore residents and growing up as a band, they made sure to play a hometown show, or two, every year to show their love and respect for everyone here. I don’t think I have ever seen a group of fans react to a song as well as the Rams Head attendees reacted to ‘For Baltimore’.
Overall, All Time Low always puts on a show to remember. Even though I have seen them 22 times, I can probably tell you details of every single show I have attended. And when All Time Low tours with bands such as The Downtown Fiction, Hit The Lights and The Summer Set, the show was bound to get your off your seat and dance around the venue even if you didn’t know the songs.
Hit The Lights
The Summer Set
All Time Low
