Summer School Tour 2025 @ Marquee Theatre - Tempe
July 27th 2025: Summer School Tour 2025 @ Marquee Theatre - Tempe, AZ
Charlotte Sands @ Summer School Tour 2025 | Photos Courtesy of: Ashley O'Mara
On Sunday, July 27, the Summer School Tour made a stop at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, AZ, showcasing seven emerging artists and bands gaining fast popularity within the pop-punk/alt-rock scene. The tour, sponsored by idobi Radio and Hot Topic and founded by Eric Tobin (Hopeless Records), Michael Kaminsky (KMGMT), and Kevin Lyman (Vans Warped Tour), focuses on artist development while striving to strengthen and build community for the current and future generation of scene kids. The show marked the midway point of the tour and would fittingly serve as the last hurrah for many of the students and teachers within the audience who would be returning to school the following morning.
The tour rotates its lineup nightly, with sets lasting between 25 and 40 minutes each. On this evening, Huddy, a pop-punk artist from Stockton, California, kicked off the event, delivering a 25-minute set of tunes. Huddy was popular with the crowd, especially amongst the young ladies in the audience who let out screams whenever Huddy came near. The crowd could be heard singing along to tracks like “All the Things I Hate About You,” “Partycrasher,” and his newest single, “Vendetta,” released just last month. Huddy also treated the audience to a performance of an unreleased song, “Fragile,” before closing out his set with “Cyanide.”
Undoubtedly the heaviest band on the lineup, If Not For Me, a metalcore band out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, gave an impressive performance, inciting moshpits with tracks like “Demons” and “Blameless,” and bringing the evening’s sole crowd surfer. Despite the majority of the lineup consisting of much lighter, poppier rock artists, If Not For Me was well received by the crowd. If you’re a fan of bands like A Day To Remember and Underoath, give these guys a listen.
Alternative rock band Arrows in Action took the stage next. Normally a trio, the band was down a member this evening, with guitarist Matthew Fowler succumbing to food poisoning and being forced to take the bench for this one. Despite being down a member, Arrows in Action stole the show, putting on what would end up being everyone’s favorite and most unforgettable performance of the evening. Victor (vocals, guitar) and Jesse (drums) made their entrance, rocking matching white tracksuits and tossing inflatable basketballs into the crowd to the tune of “Space Jam,” and the fun only ramped up tenfold from there. Not only was their performance on point, but they also brought comedy to the stage and had the audience laughing in between songs. Jesse emerged from behind the drums to lead the audience in a “viral TikTok dance” (neither viral nor a TikTok dance) for “Head in the Clouds.” For the rest of their set, members of other bands on the lineup, friends, and crew members took turns running onto the stage and shredding unplugged bass, and the crowd was living for it. The band ended their set with “Uncomfortably Numb,” and as they exited the stage, “We’re All in This Together” blasted from the speakers. Although this is likely their walk-off song every night, it seemed especially fitting this evening, as the whole crew came together to support their tourmates.
Although Arrows in Action may have been a tough act to follow, Beauty School Dropout took the stage and did not disappoint. While bassist Brent Burdett and guitarist Bardo Novotny emerged shirtless, frontman Colie Hutzler stormed onto the stage donning his best suit, immediately launching into one of the band’s two newest tracks, “FEVER,” released just last month. They kept the energy high as they delivered their signature “renegade pop” to the crowd, bopping their heads and singing along. The classic “Beauty School Dropout” played as the band ended their set, leaving fans buzzing and excited to find out who would take the stage next.
The crowd went wild as Nashville-based pop punk singer Taylor Acorn took the stage. She was a ball of energy, swinging her mic stand and flipping her hair as she traversed the stage, all while maintaining flawless, powerful vocals. Her guitarist, Ricky, was also a star, spinning, jumping, and swinging his guitar without missing a beat. In a vulnerable moment, Acorn shared with the audience that one of her best friends had passed away that morning. She dedicated a song to her late friend and requested that the audience sing along loud enough for her to hear it. Tourmate Charlotte Sands joined Acorn on stage for a performance of their song “Final Nail.” It was incredible to witness both of the scene’s current pop-punk powerhouses crushing it together on one stage. Overall, Acorn’s set was one “Hell Of A Show.”
The opening notes of “Tantrum” rang out as Charlotte Sands took the stage, vibrant blue hair whipping through the air as she blew the audience away with her powerful vocals and impressive stage presence. Sands is no stranger to the Valley, calling it a second home because of her close connection to the Valley’s own The Maine. She performed twice in the Valley earlier this year, with many fans in the audience having attended those shows as well. Sands acknowledged familiar faces, taking a moment to point out a couple of young children within the crowd that she remembered, no doubt creating a core memory for the young ladies. Sands had the whole room dancing and singing along to tracks like “Bad Day,” “Spite,” and “Dress- Heavy Version,” before closing out her set with “Hush.”
For the final set of the night, Rain City Drive took the stage, ending an incredible evening of performances on a high note. Frontman Matt McAndrew’s stellar vocal ability was on full display as they performed songs like “Lose My Composure,” “Wish You the Best,” and “Blood Runs Cold.” It’s no surprise he was the runner-up for his season of “The Voice”- the man can sing! The audience was treated to their newest release, which dropped July 10 and which they dubbed as their favorite song, “Ride Or Die.” Although the song was only just released, fans could be seen singing along to every word. The evening wrapped with the band’s highest-streamed songs- “Talk To A Friend” and “Medicate Me.”
The sophomore year of the Summer School Tour did not disappoint. It’s nice to see the work that is being done to keep the scene alive after all these years (it was never a phase!), and if these acts are any indication of what is to come, the future of pop-punk is bright, to say the least. The Summer School Tour is one that you won’t want to miss! Catch this lineup as it continues across the US through August 10, when the tour concludes in Philadelphia.
