The Wonder Years bring Burst and Decay Tour to Warsaw Brooklyn 5/18/25

Photography & Review by Amber Bintliff

If you’ve ever caught The Wonder Years at one of their live shows, you’ll know the Philadelphia pop-punk titans are synonymous with high-energy performances that give space for record-breaking numbers of crowdsurfers and rowdy mosh pits. However, the iconic six-piece band gave one of the most magically compelling stripped-back performances in support of their Burst & Decay series on May 18th at Warsaw, Brooklyn. 

 

 

The Burst & Decay series is a collection of EPs that showcases acoustically re-imagined versions of various songs from The Wonder Years’ extensive discography. The first installment was released in 2017 and features classics such as “There, There,” “Dismantling Summer” and the fated “You In January,” which holds the lyric that the series drew its title. There are now three volumes of the EP available, with the latest addition coming out shortly before this tour began. 

 

Kevin Devine opened the night and won over the audience with only his mesmerizing voice and guitar. The Brooklyn native singer-songwriter was stoked to be playing a hometown show and delivered an incredibly captivating performance before The Wonder Years took the stage. 

 

 

The stage production set the tone for the evening, complete with warmly lit lamps, cozy-looking couches, and even a small stuffed version of the band’s mascot, Hank, sitting on a small table next to vocalist Dan “Soupy” Campbell’s mic stand. The Wonder Years began their set with a chilling rendition of “Doors I Painted Shut.” Campbell’s stellar, lone vocals echoed through Warsaw as each member of the band and the Little Kruta orchestra walked on stage one by one to take their places. The band then went straight into a beautiful performance of “I Don’t Like Who I Was Then” and made it clear that this night would show The Wonder Years like you’ve never seen before. 

 

 

This night served as a celebration of The Wonder Years’ emotionally charged and impactful music, just much softer and polished than a normal show of theirs. The room was full of nostalgia as the audience loudly sang back every word, creating new memories to remember for a long while once they eventually leave the venue to go back to their everyday lives. 

 

 

“Passing Through A Screen Door” is always a track that brings chills down your spine when hearing it live. Between the song’s message and the crowd’s enthusiasm to scream along, it didn’t matter whether they heard the original high-energy version or the much slower acoustic one being played at them. The raw power felt throughout every member of the crowd every time The Wonder Years play this track live is something indescribable, no matter the rendition. 

 

 

Campbell took the time in between songs to crack jokes about the lack of moshing, address world issues, explain the stories behind the songs, and talk about his wife and children. He also profusely thanked the crowd for selling out the Brooklyn show and supporting their ambitions to tour for these special arrangements of their old music. 

 

The Wonder Years ended the night the way they always do, acoustically or not, with the classic “Came Out Swinging.” This brilliant rendition of such a quintessential song in both The Wonder Years’ catalog and the pop-punk genre as a whole was completely and utterly enthralling. The band even brought out Dave Mackinder of Fireworks to join them for the performance. 

 

 

Arguably the most memorable part of any show from the Philadelphia legends, the crowd indulged in their final moments with the band for the outro of “Came Out Swinging.” Hearing a sold-out room of 1,100 people cathartically yelling, “I spent the winter writing songs about getting better / well, if I’m being honest, I’m getting there,” brings the true impact that The Wonder Years have had in the scene over the last 20 years to the surface. 

 

While the Burst & Decay Tour showcased The Wonder Years in a completely different light, their talent and dedication to their fans and music are the same as ever. This show was unlike any I have ever seen before, and I hope it’s not the last of the Burst & Decay series live.