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San Jose Civic Center 10/21/2025
After barely recovering and making it home from When We Were Young over the weekend it was already time for this elder-emos next show
Seriously almost second guessed going to a concert over an hour drive away on a Tuesday night after being at an all day festival over the weekend but I am SO glad I persevered.
Arriving at the venue was a breeze, with no line and no real restrictions. The venue is a fully GA space with open seating surrounding the standing-room area and an upper balcony as well.
As my feet were still blistered and bruised from the weekend,
I opted for a seat in one of the lower-level sections,
not that I was sitting for most of the show.
Once inside by 6:45 with a 7:00 p.m. ticket time, music was already playing. Apparently, The Paradox went on early, much to the disappointment of those who showed up a bit later. Personally, I wasn't familiar with much of The Paradox's set, but based on their fun banter and stage presence and THAT THEY fully admitted, “our new song might suck because we wrote it two days ago”—they made me want to listen to more of their stuff. A great opening act.
The Cab came out around 7:00 for a somewhat hometown show, with several members being from Northern California and the band’s first tour in over ten years. They sounded great, and the crowd was there for it! I missed their set at the weekend festival, so I was amped to see them play.
Next up was Mayday Parade, a band I’ve followed since they formed in 2005. Derek will always be one of my favorite vocalists. The setlist was a mix of their newest albums (Including Sad, which dropped on 10/3 and may have been overlooked by us Swemos but is totally worth the listen, and Sweet, which came out earlier this year in April) and the albums the crowd was more familiar with, ending, of course, with “Jamie All Over.” While the setlist was exactly the same as what I observed at the festival, it was a 10/10 for energy and crowd vibes.
What we were all waiting for: All Time Low! Coming out a week after having to end the Red Rocks show early and cancel Seattle’s show due to laryngitis, Alex sounded strong, and his vocals were on point. He admitted it was the first day he felt “normal again.” His voice carried through the night as the band played 23 songs. There were two breaks during the show to allow the band a quick reprieve and outfit changes, but the energy never faltered. During the encore, the band played “Jasey Rae” for the first time this tour before ending the night with “Dear Maria (Count Me In)”
All Time Low
Forever