Show Review: All Time Low @ Roseland Ballroom in NYC

With the amount of tween girls packing New York’s Roseland Ballroom last Sunday, a man on the street would have thought the Jonas Brothers rolled into town. But this time it was different. These tweens came out for All Time Low’s "Compromising of Morality, Integrity, and Principles in Exchange for Money Tour" featuring The Maine, Mayday Parade, and Every Avenue.

Every Avenue took the stage first and simply put, they kicked ass. Every Avenue performed high-energy pop-punk tracks off of their latest release, Shh Just Go With It. With fans in the crowd dancing, fist pumping, and lip-syncing, these guys put themselves on the map as a band to be watched.

Directly following were Fearless Records label-mates, The Maine, who played mostly songs off of their recent album, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop. Although the band did an amazing job playing hits like “Everything I Ask For” and “Count ‘Em One, Two, Three”, the set might have been stronger if they played more songs off of their older EP, The Way We Talk.

Next to perform was arguably the most hardcore band of the night, Mayday. The band’s song choices were predictable, starting with “Three Cheers for Five Years,” off their EP, Tales Told by Dead Friends. After playing a couple of songs from their latest release, A Lesson in Romantics, the entire band went backstage except for the lead singer who acoustically played “Miserable at Best”. Surprisingly, the rest of the band came out for accompaniment halfway through the song, which is fully acoustic on the CD. After playing “When I Get Home, You’re So Dead, ” and “Jamie All Over,” (which are their two officially released singles) the band played fan-favorite “Jersey.” Although they seemed too hardcore for All Time Low fans, Mayday Parade kept concertgoers entertained the entire set.

With lights flashing all over the ballroom, All Time Low came out performing their latest single, “Poppin’ Champagne.” The band was especially proud of this tour because it was their first full headlining tour, meaning they had time to play more than just popular songs. The band's fifteen-song set included older favorites like “The Girl’s a Straight-Up Hustler,” “Shameless,” “Holly (Would You Turn Me On?),” and “Circles” from their lesser known release, The Party Scene. ATL pulled out every trick in the book to excite fans with strobe lights, confetti, streamers, a large All Time Low backdrop, and the classy bras hanging off guitarist Jack Barakat’s mic stand. Although the wait was unbearable, the concert was absolutely worth it and is a must-see performance.

The Compromising of Morality, Integrity, and Principles in Exchange for Money Tour rolls through the rest of the country until the end of November, including a stop at the Palladium in Worcester, MA on November 26.

--Adam Azahari