This past weekend, from October 18 to 19, an alternative music festival was held in the Las Vegas Festival Grounds in Nevada for the seventh time in history. The “When We Were Young” (WWWY) festival is a unique experience where many famous nostalgic bands, spanning the alternative, nu-metal, post-hardcore, emo, and pop-punk genres, come together and perform for a whole weekend. For over $400 for a single-day pass and over $800 for a weekend pass, people debated whether this festival is worth the money.

This year’s lineup featured many people’s favorite bands and artists from their youth, including Panic! at the Disco, Blink-182, Avril Lavigne, Weezer, and more. These blasts from the past created a heavy incentive for alternative fans, old and new, to empty their wallets and take a quick trip to Nevada. Some people even took some not-so-quick trips to the festival grounds, flying in from countries around the world. Clearly, this was not an event to be missed.

Unfortunately, while many iconic bands showed up with a great performance, a few bands and artists had to cancel at the last minute or simply did not show up, leaving many attendees disappointed. Bands like Never Shout Never and Sleeping with Sirens were of the few performers that could not make it due to personal reasons. Although highly anticipated, lead guitarist and vocalist Ryan Ross of Panic! At the Disco never showed his face either. Fans were excited for this reunion as Ross and the band’s lead singer, Brendan Urie, used to have an amazing bond, showing great chemistry when performing live. Ross ended up leaving the “Panic! at the Disco” 16 years ago due to creative differences, and fans have missed him dearly ever since. While many people declared their disappointment in their experience, others argue that the festival was still an incredible time despite the artists’ absence.

One of the most notable moments of the festival this weekend was the appearance of Spencer Smith during the surprise second performance of “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” by Panic! At the Disco. Smith was one of the original members of the band before the unfortunate split, being their main drummer. The band’s performance was arguably one of the most exciting performances in the entire festival, feeding their fans not only with the first live performance of the entirety of their first album, “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out,” in years, but also even more.

Another notable, yet controversial moment of the weekend was when The Used paid tribute and raised awareness to the tragic events occurring in Palestine. As they hung a large flag, reading “Freedom for Palestine,” many fans began to argue. Some were complaining that they did not come to the festival to get politics thrown at them, while others argued that that’s exactly what they should have expected while coming to a festival for alternative people. The alternative scene is more than just different music and resourceful fashion, but also a virtuous lifestyle and important political beliefs. As a subculture rooted in politics, it makes sense that the bands would proudly represent what they stand for.

Although expensive, this event proved to be worth every penny. In its essence, this festival provided great music and a way for every fan to unite into one big community of people who have felt like outcasts all their lives and can now embrace their uniqueness. Although many people could not afford the passes or find the time to travel to Las Vegas, some of the attendees were able to live-stream some of the performances on social media, gathering an even larger audience and growing the community even more. The WWWY Festival proved that music is truly the greatest way to bring people together.