The Wonder Years Celebrate 10 Years Of No Closer To Heaven At Brooklyn Paramount – 3/4/26

Review by: Genevieve Cai

On March 4th, Philly pop-punk band The Wonder Years played a sold out show at the Brooklyn
Paramount. The band is currently on their spring tour celebrating a decade of their album, No
Closer To Heaven, where each night features a full performance of the record as well as an
additional unique setlist. Brooklyn Paramount not only kicked off as the first night of tour, but
became the biggest headlining show at an indoor venue The Wonder Years has ever played
over their twenty year career.
Chicago pop-punkers Knuckle Puck acted as main support—in fact, there has not been a single
time I have seen either band live without the other being on the same tour or festival
lineup—and the east coast leg was also joined by Equipment, an indie emo/pop-punk band from
Toledo, Ohio.
Equipment started the night blending math and indie rock elements with a traditional pop punk
sound. Paramount houses a notably gigantic, wide room and stage, but Equipment knew how to
take up the space with their clean, catchy guitar hooks and humorous but relatable lyrics. The
band played a couple fan favorites from their most recent album Alt. Account like “Hot, Young
Doctors” and “LO/FO”, as well as other fun tracks like my new favorite song to dance to,
“espresso lemonade”.
When Knuckle Puck entered the stage, a mass ripple started as people pushed toward the
stage, pits opened up and crowdsurfers emerged. Vocalist Joe Taylor’s stage presence always
has an unwavering vitality, where he unapologetically feels every beat in his body as he dances
with his mic. Knuckle Puck brought undeniable energy, allowing room for both melodic moments
and raw, shouted vocals. Hits like “Want Me Around”, “You & I”, and the iconic, almost
eight-minute song “Untitled” had everybody jumping and passionately screaming every word. In
a moment of powerful connection, Taylor held his mic stand to the audience, allowing the fans to
carry.
The time came for The Wonder Years, and frontman Dan Campbell, affectionately nicknamed
“Soupy”, started the set with the album and tour title track, “No Closer To Heaven”. This song is
a quieter, introspective acoustic song in comparison to the band’s usual sound and examines
themes of grief and mortality. It’s interesting as an opener, since in the album it’s the closer, and
I was almost not ready to witness Dan’s tender performance of it under a singular spotlight so
soon.
For the rest of the songs down the album, though, there was not a single static moment. The
push and circle pits for “Cardinals”, “The Bluest Things On Earth”, and “Thanks For The Ride”
were ever moving as diehard fans kept the energy, bouncing off each other just as much as they
sang with their arms around one another. No matter where you stood, it was near impossible to

not get swept up in the motion, whether it was from the crowdsurfers being passed along or
getting caught up alongside the moshers.
Campbell took a pause to show his gratitude toward the audience, acknowledge the band’s
journey and emphasize the power of community. Everything he says is always spoken in an
emotional, almost slam poetry-like way that is able to resonate the same as when he is singing.
After the No Closer To Heaven set, the band returned with beloved tracks like “Passing Through
A Screen Door” and “Wyatt’s Song (Your Name)”, a dedication to Campbell’s son. An exciting
surprise was the inclusion of “New Lows”, a track The Wonder Years had specifically created as
an entrance theme for the Irish WWE wrestler Becky Lynch. Because of its purpose, it’s one of
their more aggressive and post-hardcore-like songs, and the red light that swept over the room
during it only encouraged the audience to go more crazy.
The night ended with The Wonder Years’ quintessential song “Came Out Swinging”. The band
closes every show with this song as a reference to their DIY roots in the suburban Philly
pop-punk/emo scene, giving the crowd one last chance to dance, sing and sweat together.
The Wonder Years are continuing the No Closer To Heaven anniversary tour, which will end with
four hometown nights at Philly’s Theatre of Living Arts in April.

Setlist (via setlist.fm):
No Closer to Heaven
Brothers &
Cardinals
A Song for Patsy Cline
I Don’t Like Who I Was Then
Cigarettes & Saints
The Bluest Things on Earth
Slow Dancing With San Andreas
A Song for Ernest Hemingway
Thanks for the Ride
Stained Glass Ceilings
I Wanted So Badly to Be Brave
You in January
Palm Reader

Passing Through a Screen Door
Don’t Let Me Cave In
Wyatt’s Song (Your Name)
New Lows
Lost It in the Lights
GODDAMNITALL
Came Out Swinging