Photography and writing by Shanna Rogers
CHARLOTTE, NC — Pop punk and emo powerhouses took over The Underground in Charlotte, NC on Labor Day, making the walls and ceiling shake with glee and melodic sound. The Starting Line rolled into town on their Eternal Youth tour, celebrating over two decades of discography and their upcoming album by the same name, Eternal Youth. Knuckle Puck and Keep joined as openers for the evening and left the entire room speechless—save for the shouts of joy, of course.
Keep
Virginia-based band Keep took the stage first and brought with them the slow, melodic sounds of shoegaze. Having played a full summer’s worth of shows in celebration of their newest album, Almost Static, they performed an exceptionally put-together set. Playing some hit songs from their record, such as the album-titled song “Almost Static”, they left the growing crowd bewitched from start to finish.
Knuckle Puck
In truth, I hadn’t listened to a single Knuckle Puck (Chicago, IL) song before stepping foot in The Underground on September 1st. I now know how much I was missing from a band that has been making music for nearly fifteen years. 2025 marked the ten-year anniversary of the release of the band’s hit album Copacetic, and in honor of such a momentous birthday, they played several songs that left the crowd moshing and surfing until the very end. Kicking off with fan favorite “Untitled” steeped the room with energy that never faded, even after the last song “No Good”—a favorite from the band’s 2013 EP The Weight That You Buried. Being buried in the crowd during the set closer was an experience I’ll never forget; the crowd hollered every word, surfed until they could no longer, and jumped until the rafters shook.
The Starting Line
Being an elder emo myself, the moment The Starting Line announced their Eternal Youth tour, I made my way to purchase tickets. “The Best of Me” from the band’s 2002 album Say It Like You Mean It was a ripped-CD staple in my early teens, and being able to see it live was possibly one of the coolest experiences I’ve had. Photographing a band I’ve listened to for decades? A close second. As I sit listening to the song now, I reflect on (miscommunication and) an evening I will never forget.
From the moment they took the stage, The Starting Line brought with them an unmatched energy. Kenny Vasoli (vocals, bass guitar) shone in the stage light, wearing a bright smile and welcoming Charlotte into the band’s family and their moment. Kicking off the set with “Almost There, Going Nowhere”, the band shredded through every attendee’s memory and brought forth nostalgia from one song to the next throughout the entire evening.
Playing nine songs from their 2002 album, such as “Decisions, Decisions” and “Left Coast Envy”, made the crowd truly feel their eternal youth—moshing and crowd surfing even to the slower songs such as “The Night Life”. The movement and glee didn’t end until well after the very last note of my favorite song, “The Best of Me”, which capped out the evening with the most palpable energy the room could muster. Drawing on said energy, The Starting Line even included two new releases from their upcoming album, “Circulate” and “Sense of Humor”, to which the crowd sang every word.
Although my feet hurt and my throat ached from scream-singing, I left The Underground on a high that only early-2000s emo and pop punk music can bring. As did the rest of the attendees, evident by the bright, smiling faces I saw on the walk to my car in the brisk late-summer night air.
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