Dan 'Soupy' Campbell of The Wonder Years performing at The UC Theatre in Berkeley, CA. May 23, 2018. Photo Credit: Jared Stossel.

The Wonder Years
w/ Tigers Jaw, Tiny Moving Parts, Worriers
The UC Theatre
Berkeley, CA
May 23, 2018

Photos and review by Jared Stossel.

It was a Wednesday night, right before Memorial Day weekend, yet Berkeley's UC Theatre was packed as pop-punk superheroes The Wonder Years took the stage to perform an emotionally charged ninety minute set in support of their sixth studio album, Sister Cities. Opening with the powerful "Pyramids of Salt", the second track from Sister Cities, it became abundantly clear that The Wonder Years, the same band that released such pop-punk gems like The Upsides and Suburbia I've Given You All And Now I"m Nothing, had grown into the next phase of their career. Their original pop-punk style is not absent from their sound, but it has morphed into a style that is a bit darker and cathartic, yet still maintains a sense of hope that always manages to show up in The Wonder Years' music.

Throughout the course of the ninety-minute set, the band powered through song after song, not showing any signs of slowing down momentum. Vocalist Dan 'Soupy' Campbell preached to the crowd with a profound sense of excitement when talking about the crowd, their new album, and the music the band have been putting out over the last several years. To be honest, I don't think I've ever seen him this energized before, and it put a smile on my face every time he spoke in between songs.

A majority of material came from Sister Cities, while a number of selections from 2015's No Closer To Heaven and 2013's The Greatest Generation made their way into the setlist throughout the evening. Two tracks from Suburbia ("Came Out Swinging" and "Coffee Eyes") and one track from The Upsides ("I Was Scared And I'm Sorry", a bonus track) were thrown into the mix, much to the delight of the band's hardcore fan base.

The six-piece Philadelphia act returned to the stage for a three-song encore, one of which included a track from the band's acoustic EP, Burst & Decay, which slowed things down a bit before launching into "Passing Through A Screen Door" (The Greatest Generation) and "Cigarettes & Saints" (No Closer To Heaven). With an evening that was rounded out by stellar support acts like Tigers Jaw, Tiny Moving Parts, and Worriers, I can say with full confidence that The Wonder Years' Sister Cities tour was one for the books, and one that shouldn't be missed if you're a supporter of this genre. If you've been a die-hard fan of the band for years, or you're looking for a good entry point into their music, we highly recommend going and checking out this tour in particular.

The Wonder Years Set List

Pyramids of Salt
I Don't Like Who I Was Then
Thanks for the Ride
It Must Get Lonely
Dismantling Summer
Cul-De-Sac
Play Video
We Look Like Lightning
Coffee Eyes
Came Out Swinging
The Devil in My Bloodstream
Sister Cities
Raining in Kyoto
There, There
I Was Scared & I'm Sorry
Cardinals
The Ocean Grew Hands to Hold Me

Encore:
A Song for Ernest Hemingway
Passing Through a Screen Door
Cigarettes & Saints