Photo Credit: Steve Barrass
State Champs kicked off their “Kings of the New Age 2022 Tour” in Cleveland, Ohio on Friday night! This served as the first stop of the tour, as they hit the road all throughout the month the November to promote their 4th full-length release. It’s important to note that this tour is going to be unlike anything the band has done since they formed in 2010.
As the lights went dim for the first time this tour, it was a heart-warming sight to see, if you had a view of the band standing side-stage watching their new backdrop screen illuminate in front of a crowd for the first time. This was something you could tell was truly special for the guys, as upgrading from your standard cloth backdrop to a high-tech visual seemingly symbolizes the next milestone in the journey to the top. But that wasn’t the only sign that these pop-punk rockers we’re about to take the next leap in their touring careers…
The venue was packed. It was electrified. And it wasn’t your average House of Blues vibe. As someone who has followed State Champs for the past few years, you immediately felt that this could be it. This could possibly be the last time you see the State Champs that you know and love perform in a smaller setting. You knew before they even took the stage that the next tour is not going to be small one, and that this group is going to raise the bar and scale their stage presence as large as they can go.
Kicking off the evening with ‘Just Sound’ off of the new album, Derek, Tyler, Ryan, and Evan immediately lit the crowd up with their energy and excitement, as this tour has been hyped up to be the best tour they’ve put together to date. That in itself was an under statement. Without giving away too many visual surprises, State Champs also gave the Champs Fam (a name the fanbase is known as, which also became the name of their popular fan club) a night of tracks that no one expected. While having their longest setlist to date, the group was able to cover the hits from each of their albums, as well as some lesser known songs and deep-cuts from b-side releases, such as ‘Crying Out Loud’ and a fan favorite ‘If I’m Lucky’.
It’s safe to say that the band more than gave the fans their money’s worth, but they gave them memories that will last a lifetime. Wrapping up the night with an encore of ‘Everybody But You’, you felt the emotion and appreciation from the stage for 10 years of loyalty, fandom, and friendships.
Make sure you check out State Champs on the “Kings of the New Age Tour 2022”, as the show continues on through the month of November and wraps up on December 10th where in all began in New York when the band graces the stage at Empire Live in Albany.
Setlist:
- Just Sound
- Mine Is Gold
- Eventually
- Outta My Head
- Criminal
- Sundress
- Frozen
- Elevated
- Half Empty
- Crying Out Loud
- If I’m Lucky
- Out Time To Go
- Fake It
- All You Are Is History
- Act Like That
- Deadly Conversation
- Hurry Up and Wait
- Losing Myself
- All or Nothing
- Breaking Ground
- Secrets
- Everybody But You