The Wonder Years delivers all the good vibes, 'good soup' in Palladium return

Sometimes, you go to a show and the crowd is great, but the music doesn’t exactly hit the mark. Other times, the music is on point, but the crowd may not seem as “into it” as one would hope. But on Saturday night, The Wonder Years' long-awaited return to The Palladium ran on pure rocket fuel from start to finish, generated by all the best-case scenario elements and set up the most delightful fever dream of an evening in recent memory.

Even before doors opened, as fans lined up around the corner well before the designated 6 p.m. gate lift, there was a buzz in the hoodie-weather air that was unshakable. To pinpoint exactly what that buzz represented would be nearly impossible, as the small army of Wonder Years T-shirts most definitely held their own individual and personal reason for excitement and nostalgia, as the band really is “one of those bands” that has just hit differently, and continues to hit differently for their still-growing legions of fans after all these years.

But judging by the youthful exuberance and all-around good time party vibes on display once the show started, our guess is as good as yours, but whatever it was, there was undoubtedly something different and special in the air.

Starting off the triple-bill offering was Macseal, who left no time to waste before delivering a gleefully energetic set that married elements of modern emo and pop-punk with the drive and musical influence of the late ‘90s alt-rock that raised, by the looks of it, right around 50% of the crowd.

There was vulnerability in their lyrics, while the instrumentals remained upbeat and pulse-pounding as the crowd, which one could only assume was composed of existing fans of the band as well as new fans being sculpted in real-time given the band’s infectious vibe, matched the energy on stage with energy and angst of their own until the New York quintet’s seemingly all-too-quick set drew to a close.

Taking the already emblazoned baton with no chill to be found, Fireworks greeted a swirling crowd with a raw intensity and impressively tight presentation that didn’t let up off the gas for the duration of their set, which clocked in at right around 45 minutes.

Although the stage was cloaked in multiple Halloween decorations and a few upside-down crosses, that joyous vibe that hovered over the crowd like a magical cloud was still front and center as the self-proclaimed “Detroit Bad Boys” turned up the dial ever so slightly with cruising rhythm and hard-hitting riffs, setting off a cavalcade of playfully chaotic energy in which moshers set aside their two-steps in order to assemble a full-on row crew simulation in the middle of the pit (yes, you read that right) as the band shared a palpable mutual energy with the other side of the barricade through screaming lyrics and displays of love and appreciation.

When the end of a set is in sight, most of the time it’s obvious and you can sort of call the next play, but much like the Roman candles and sparklers that are set off on the Fourth of July (and even sometimes at 11 p.m. on a Tuesday in February for whatever reason), these Fireworks were almost as unpredictable as they were enjoyable, which only added to the overall enjoyment factor of their display.

With the stage figuratively scorched and fully loosened up for the main event, that magical cloud still hovered somewhere in the ether. With fans packed railing to railing and body to body, there was very little room to roam, but to be fair, once the lights went down and The Wonder Years took the stage, they proceeded to deliver a show that made sure everyone stayed put.

Unleashing an electric 20-song set, frontman Dan Campbell and the gang were visibly engulfed with emotion and gleaming smiles from the jump, as fans sang along to quite literally every single song they rolled out. While the main driving force of their fall tour has been to support and celebrate the release of their latest album, “The Hum Goes on Forever,” which landed only a few short weeks ago at the end of September, and opened the show with a moody and poignant yet comforting aura of warm lights and soothing soundscape that seemed to only heighten the feeling of autumn on an oddly warm October day, they made more than enough room to revisit some of the classics from older selections off albums from early in their catalog, like 2011’s “Suburbia I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing” and 2013’s “The Greatest Generation,” among so many others.

The music sounded on point from the moment the first note rang out. To be fair, it pretty much always has with every visit the band has paid to their wildly passionate Northeast following in Worcester over the years, but this time, there seemed to be an extra dose of fairy dust sprinkled on the evening. And although the songs they brought along to share were the centerpiece of a feast of all the feels, Campbell — affectionately known as “Soupy” (we’re fighting every fiber to refrain from using that as a pun) — took more than a few opportunities in between songs to further connect with the crowd through messages of social and political solidarity, cracking jokes and telling funny stories, or just simply screaming “Worcesterrrrr!” into the mic at the top of his lungs, which was met with raucous applause each and every time.

Even as the show burrowed deep into the 10 o’clock hour, fans were still moving and shouting with joyful abandon with every track the band re-introduced, one after another. It was an intriguing game of pop-punk tennis as the band would serve up a heater of a track consisting of Campbell’s unwavering vocal chops and an increasingly intense instrumental tandem, only to be met with reciprocated energy, and vice versa. And while that energy was most assuredly captured on cellphone videos by the dozens, we really hope the one guy recording the show on his Nintendo DS (an absolute power move, brochacho) was also able to capture the inescapable electricity that kept the night fully charged all the way through to the end of the encore.

Aside from all the words above, the feeling of the night was nearly inexplicable. There was insurmountable joy found in laughs and both sober and drunken sing-alongs, there was love found in the lyrical messages and resonating of socially conscious sentiments, as well as the smattering of couples who found prime real estate in incredibly tight circumstances to make out mid-set, and above all the else, there was a distinct feeling of happiness amongst the jam-packed Palladium on Saturday night. And that, if nothing else, is a hum we hope goes on forever.

Good soup, friends. Damn good soup.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Wonder Years leads joyful, high-energy show at Palladium in Worcester