SHOW REVIEW & GALLERY: State Champs brings an energetic crowd to the House of Blues, Orlando.

Renee Robbins
Dec 5, 2024
4 min read

Photos & Review by Renee Robbins | @rensography

Although you may not picture yourself at a concert on a Sunday night, State Champs made it worth it for fans as they took on House of Blues Orlando on the 1st of December. This tour comes after the release of their self-titled album and included openers Daisy Grenade, Meet Me @ The Altar, and Knuckle Puck. Although the tour was nearly over by the time they made it to Orlando, you would've guessed it was just beginning with the energy of all four bands on the line up. If you've seen State Champs live before, you'll know that they have the ability to make any room feel electric, and it was no exception for the Sunday night show.

Openers Daisy Grenade, Meet Me at the Altar, and Knuckle Puck - Taken by Renee Robbins | @rensography

The night started and got kicked off with a massive amount of energy for duo Daisy Grenade, who came out sporting fun I'm With Stupid shirts. The crowd was immediately jumping, giving the band a massive amount of energy you don't always see for openers. Following Daisy Grenade came Meet Me @ the Altar who's origin takes them right back to Orlando, so it was no surprise that the crowd kept their energy going and gave their all to the trio. Coming right before State Champs was Knuckle Puck, who had several people jumping, singing, screaming, and crowd surfing to get ready for the headliner of the night. The House of Blues crowd made it clear that they weren't going to disappoint once Champs took the stage.

Finally, it was time for the New York natives to take stage and the crowd was immediately full of energy. Within the first thirty seconds of their set, the crowd was met with confetti canons paired with single from their self-titled; Silver Cloud. It was obvious that the crowd was into the new album, immediately knowing the words and screaming along with vocalist Derek DiScanio. The confetti kept coming and were joined by fog canons, creating an energy that you normally feel at the end of a show right at the beginning, and it was clear that it wouldn't be fading at all throughout the night.

The band played homage to their old music while still featuring plenty of new songs; which is very fitting for the vibe of their new album which was meant to be a cohesive mix of everything they've created as a band. The set felt exactly like that; the perfect mix of State Champs as a band that met the needs of new fans, while still including several older fan favorites that immediately had the crowd as loud as they could be. One of the loudest songs of the night was Dead and Gone, in which the crowd was easily singing the chorus of the song for the band, filling the room with a feeling that couldn't be duplicated if someone tried.

As the night continued, the band played songs from their new album and mixed in fan-favorites such as Out Of My Head, which had the crowds energy pouring through the roof. The show was not only high energy, but also included several fun and interactive moments, such as DiScanio asking for a Sunday night circle pit, which fans easily delivered for popular track Criminal. The band also spoke out to new comers of their shows, the room having a mix of devoted fans and fans who were getting to see them for the first time. After some more interactions with a crowd, they played a medley of a few older tracks including Perfect Score, Frozen, and Fake it. The energy in the room never stopped as even fans on the balcony were jumping and singing along all night.

As the night continued, State Champs brought out openers Daisy Grenade to join them for Around the World and Back which their vocals fit perfectly. The rest of the night was met with jumping, singing, and lots and lots of crowd surfing; which is very typical for a State Champs show. Fans seemed to be having the time of their lives, and were disappointed when the band left the state after their last new track of the night, Save Face Story. However, the band came back out for two more songs of the night after the crowd joined together for a one more song chant. The night concluded a two-song encore, starting with Everybody but You in which they were joined by Boys Like Girls bassist Gregory James. As the last song of the night, the band closed off with Secrets; including more confetti and an energy that was truly unmatched.

Although this tour is coming to an end, it's recommended that you get to any State Champs show that you can as the band truly never disappoints.