Philly Music Fest welcomes The Wonder Years home with two sold-out nights at Underground Arts

Pop-punk giants The Wonder Years played a rare barricade-free show in the city for the first of two nights at Underground Arts during this year’s Philly Music Fest. The Pennsylvania-bred band was joined by New Jersey’s Dry Jacket and Public Works, plus Philadelphia’s Golden Apple.

The last time I saw Dan “Soupy” Campbell interact with a crowd was years ago when he toured his solo project Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties. It was at my friend Ben’s parents’ house in South Jersey, where I’d been watching my high school friends play for years, and Campbell made a stop on his house show tour. Years later, his grip on a crowd has multiplied tenfold. With no barricade, the band’s frontman takes every opportunity to jump into the arms of his fans, to sing with them instead of to them. No matter how successful the band becomes, they find a way to make the crowd feel equal to them.

Up on stage, Campbell offered a message about solidarity and kindness. “The person asking you for a dollar on the corner is not your enemy. The company, the corporation, buying up block after block in your city, driving up the rents, that is your f***ing enemy,” he told the chanting crowd before launching into “Oldest Daughter.” As living anywhere, let alone Philadelphia, gets more expensive, this testament to unity felt necessary to me. It felt like a reminder that everyone is struggling because of systems that feel bigger than us. But when things seem impossible, at least we can go see The Wonder Years at Underground Arts.