July 31 @ 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
By purchasing tickets to SummerStage Benefit Concerts, you are continuing to support over 100 free performances in parks throughout the five boroughs.
Heralded as one of the best pop-punk bands of the modern era, a precocious All Time Low crew began their journey in 2003 when they formed just outside of Baltimore, while still in high school. Now seemingly always on tour, this hard working quartet was first invited on the Vans Warped Tour in 2007. Soon after, their 2nd album was released, So Wrong, It’s Right, which skyrocketed to #62 on the Billboard 200, catapulting them into the limelight of not just the punk scene but of the world stage. Since then, they’ve sold well over 1.2 million albums, chocked up over 100 million YouTube views and have appeared on all the biggest late night shows. This past year, fans across the globe have been doting over their live album Straight to DVD II: Past, Present, and Future Hearts, and the brand new single “Dirty Laundry,” a surprisingly poignant relationship ballad.
Harkening back to the punk glory days of yore, SWMRS is a hyper-politically energized band with something to say. As evidenced by their distinct influences, from the apparent (The Clash, The Ramones) to the less obvious (Public Enemy, Kurt Cobain, The Beach Boys), this electrifying quartet is all about staying true to oneself and freeing your inner voice. Initially named Emily’s Army, brothers Cole and Max Becker teamed up with Joey Armstrong (son of punk legend Billy Joel Armstrong) as tiny tykes. They would eventually add Seb Mueller and be re-christened as SWMRS, the raucous, much adored Oakland-bred crew they are today. Their debut album Drive North (which was rereleased under their current label Fueled by Ramen in 2016) is a joyously adrenaline-powered tour de force, featuring the single “Miley,” an homage to Miley Cyrus and her intrinsic embodiment of punk rock values.
Hot off the release of their debut album Double Dare, Waterparks transcend the pop-punk distinction with a vivacious sound that is layered with components of jazz, hip-hop, indie rock and electronica. Spawned in Houston, Texas, these guys have been making tunes together since 2011. Their new album is admittedly more “honest” than their past endeavors (three solid EPs), according to the crystal-clear voiced front-man Awsten Knight. Fans have certainly responded, as Double Dare charted for eight consecutive weeks. Their ebullient vitality on full display, the Waterparks trio has been touring relentlessly, sharing the stage with Good Charlotte, All Time Low, Sleeping with Sirens and many other commandingly fun ensembles.
Recently formed and rarin’ to go, The Wrecks are an LA-based five-piece that was reared in Thousand Oaks, CA, that brings with them hard-driving melodic alterna-pop sensibilities. They count The Pixies, The Strokes, Vampire Weekend and Weezer among their heaviest influences, and their sound jubilantly rings with the quirkily ironic fervor of guys who actually don’t take themselves too seriously. They put out their first single in March of 2016 (after a 3-day cram-jam studio session, frenetically fostered on borrowed time), “Favorite Liar,” which Infectious Magazine lauded as “nostalgic, punchy…hits all the right builds.” This smirking, sardonic track, along with the devilishly enjoyable “I Don’t Like You,” force you to bop your head along and happily tap your toes.