The neon purples and reds flashing from the marquee on the Pageant can be seen far down the streets of Delmar Boulevard in downtown St. Louis on Nov. 14. The bright colored hair and baggy t-shirted young adults of the area began to trickle in at 6pm through the doors, pumped for the long evening awaiting them. Meanwhile, backstage, the members of You Blew It!, State Champs, Motion City Soundtrack, and the Wonder Years tune their guitars and sound check the microphones.

Opener You Blew It!’s heavy guitar usage and raspy melodies echo through the venue from their EP Pioneer of Nothing and second album, Keep Doing What You’re Doing. State Champs followed next in line with lead singer Derek DiScanio leading the pack. Their set included crowd favorites like “Elevated” from The Finer Things, and “Secrets” from their newest release, Around the World and Back. The angsty, opinionated group sent shivers down the spines of a relative angsty crowd. The set ends in cheers and a mutual anticipation for the next band to come.

Electrifyingly vibrant and colorful lights flicker across the eager faces of the crowd after the warm up of the previous artists. Motion City Soundtrack struts across the stage and wastes no time getting to the entertainment. Bodies jumped in and out of sync to the rosy pop and barely punk tunes, matching the radical lighting. The lighter lyrics come to a close and the atmosphere shifts.

Cheers of gratitude for the Motion City Soundtrack performance subsides, replaced by a rare dull moment in the buzz. The overhead lights dim, and the headliner, The Wonder Years, rushes onto the stage. Their set begins with “Cigarettes & Saints” and “Cardinals,” two hits from their latest album No Closer to Heaven. The songs started off slower and scratchy, but turns into a louder, stronger piece, much like what the rest of their set consisted of. Hardcore fans with pent up aggression and a need to let it out began to shove fans into a circle. The bravest souls outlined the edges to protect the head-banging listeners on the outside. Inside the circle, the sweaty concert goers shoved their shoulders and elbows into each other. The mosh pit had begun on the hardwood floors of The Pageant, and a sign for the crowds stamp of approval for a breathtaking concert.