The Upsides of Pop-Punk

The only thing missing was Fred Savage.

On Tuesday night, the walls of the venue/skate park hybrid, Xtreme Wheels, pulsed with the energy of some of the best pop-punk around. Even the bitter-cold and drafty warehouse setting couldn't keep fans from making the trek out to catch a glimpse of Philadelphia natives, The Wonder Years.

Leading off with the fast and upbeat "Logan Circle," Dan "Soupy" Campbell and crew wasted no time getting the crowd up and moving. Like an electric shock to the fans, The Wonder Years' music revived the audience's spirit after a long set of openers.

The high-energy Campbell took the time between songs to let fans in on the inspiration behind his lyrics. From his social anxiety, to his ex-girlfriend, to the little problems of everyday life, Wonder Years songs provide something everyone can relate to.

"Day after day I filled that page [in my notebook] with all the bulls*** that was dragging me down, with all my problems at the time, and the time came to write this song and I opened up my notebook and said, ‘f*** man, if these are my problems, if this is what's wrong with my life, I got a lot to be thankful for,'" Campbell said as he segued into "It's Never Sunny in South Philadelphia."

The Wonder Years performed songs from their albums, The Upsides and Get Stoked on It!, as well as their various EPs. Regardless of the origins of the song, the enthusiastic crowd still spit back the lyrics verbatim.

The college-age crowd reached the zenith of its excitement as the opening chords of "My Last Semester" reverberated throughout the warehouse. Stage diving, crowd surfing, and moshing burst into action as Campbell sang out his jaded attitude toward the world of binge drinking and date rape.

After an hour-long set, the band wrapped up with "All My Friends Are In Bar Bands." As they left the stage, chants of "one more song" began to spread through the crowd. Soon, The Wonder Years were back on stage to end the night with their encore, "You're Not Salinger. Get Over It."

"The energy and feeling of a pop-punk community in Buffalo really came through with the crowd. It was difficult leaving without a smile on your face," said Jessica Kilbury, a senior American studies major.

Before The Wonder Years provided Buffalo natives with some much-needed depression therapy, Man Overboard warmed up listeners with their early 2000s-inspired pop-punk. The band's half hour set defended the borders of the genre with songs such as "Montrose," "Fantasy Girl," and others that would not sound out-of-place with acts like Saves the Day and The Early November.

The four-piece outfit from New Jersey not only provided the best music of the openers, but even invited one of the youngest attendees to join them on stage, declaring him the official mascot of the band.

Handguns shocked the crowd to attention as they came on stage to Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way." However, they showed their roots lay closer to the scene by paying homage to one of pop-punk's founding fathers when covering Taking Back Sunday's "You're So Last Summer."

This respectful and surprisingly well-performed number was not lost on the attendees. Several people pushed their way to the front to sing along as others began to jump in time with the beat. This was, hands down, the most excited the crowd got during Handguns' set.

Buffalo natives Pentimento and The Boy and His Machine provided a much-appreciated prelude to the main tour, giving concertgoers a chance to hear newer music.

With smiles firmly planted on their sweaty faces, concertgoers spilled out into the Buffalo night, anticipating The Wonder Years' upcoming Warped Tour set.

E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com