At When We Were Young 2025, fellow Chicago area natives Plain White T’s sat down with me as we discussed how the local scene has changed, their tour with We The Kings, and how Las Vegas scares us all the slightest bit. We started the conversation out by sharing a mutual love of Death Cab for Cutie:
Tom Higgenson: I don’t think they’re like considered to be emo in the same scene.
DeMar Hamilton: But they could be on the festival and it would be, it’d be awesome.
Logan Melia: They were. First year, Avril Lavigne played weekend one, got sick, weekend two, they came in.
Tim Lopez: No shit?
Logan: Yeah, so they like weren’t ‘on’ on the lineup but you know. They’re one of my all-time favorites.
DeMar: I love them, yeah they’re awesome.
Logan: All right, Plain White T’s, how are we feeling guys?
Tim: Feeling good how are you?
Mike Retondo: Feeling great man.
Logan: When We Were Young and we had a big show yesterday with Hawthorne Heights.
Tim: Oh yeah.
Logan: How was that?
Tim: That was amazing. It was a pool party.
Logan: You guys jumped in at all?
Tim: None of us jumped in the pool. I didn’t bring trunks to be honest.
DeMar: We did that emo’s not dead cruise so it was like oh this is the cruise but in Vegas at our hotel.
Tim: Thats exactly what it was.
Logan: How do you like the Vegas Vibe so far?
Tim: I mean, I like it. I like Vegas in short spurts.
Logan: Weekends.
Tim: Yep, exactly.
Mike: It’s nice this year. We did it two years ago, this fest, and it’s a lot cooler now than it was two years ago.
Tim: Like temperature wise.
Mike: Vegas breeze rolling through.
Tim: I feel like Vegas is getting like a little grittier.
Mike: Grittier?
Tim: Yeah.
DeMar: Going back to its roots.
Tim: Yeah, I think so. As I was driving in, I was like, yeah, this is where like all the bodies are buried.
De’Mar: Yeah, it is kind of sketchy.
Logan: On the Uber over here, there was a place with a bunch of tanks and ammunition.
DeMar: Yeah, right across right here.
Logan: Yeah, that’s my first time here. I woke up, you know, kind of got in the car and that was one of the first things I saw.
Tim: Yeah, greeted with that. Welcome.
Logan: Yeah. You guys are on the road quick with the Delilah v. Juliette Tour. So you keep going, are you guys excited for that?
Tom: Oh, yeah, yeah. Cannot wait and Emo Nite is opening by like spinning a bunch and DJing emo bangers to get the crowd going so it’s going to be a super fun tour.
Logan: Do you guys have any favorites that you go sneak on to that pre-show playlist?
Tom: Yes.
Tim: Ooh probably but I don’t know if we’re controlling that thing, I don’t know.
DeMar: I’m sure they’re gonna play some some Panic!, some Fall Out Boy you know Taking Back Sunday, Ocean Avenue.
Tom: Yeah the hits.
Logan: Now you’re from the Chicago suburbs, I’m from Westmont, Illinois.
Tom: Oh no shit?
Logan: Yeah right next to Lombard and I’m not sure I’m familiar with the current scene, but they got a cool couple of DIY venues. There’s one called Basement of the Coven in the bottom of a salon that you got like a ladder down or whatever, and your guys’ name is on the wall.
DeMar: No way!
Logan: I’m being completely serious right now.
Tim: Like a sticker or we have been there?
Logan: I don’t think you guys have been there.
Tim: You gotta climb down a ladder to get into the place?
Mike: That sounds awesome!
Tom: We should go play it!
Logan: Yeah, it’s awesome. Basement of the Coven. It’s right in downtown Lombard and right next to the train station in this little outlet.
Tim: Dude we should go play it.
Logan: If you guys really want we can set it up.
Tim: Send the info.
Mike: Next to the train stop video building.
Logan: How was the scene when you guys were growing up there in Lombard, what was it like?
Tom: It was so awesome.
Mike: Great library. Lilacia Park is beautiful.
DeMar: I love it.
Tom: I literally just, on the way here today in the car, listened to our friends Lucky Boys Confusion. I don’t know if you know them from back in the day, but they just released one of their independent albums digitally on Spotify. And so rocking that on the way here and thinking back to all those old suburban scene shows. We played with them all the time, Show Off all the time, DeMar’s band, Knockout, Mike’s old man, Tone Deaf George. It was a vibrant scene. Everybody, all the bands just kind of helping each other out and just trying to build this thing that eventually we moved it into the city and you know we’re selling out The Metro and the freaking Fireside Bowl and places like that. So yeah it was really the scene was important to us back in the day.
Logan: I did some research. 17 shows was my count for how many times you guys played The Metro.
Tim: Woah!
Logan: Do you remember the very first one?
Tom: I do. These guys weren’t even in the band. When we started, one of our original goals was to play The Metro. That was like my favorite venue going to shows in the city and within about a year or so we got our first gig there so it was cool. Yeah, actually they let us into The Metro before the Fireside and before any of those other cool venues.
Mike: Who was there?
Tom: It was with Woolworthy, who I believe is still maybe a band.
Mike: I was at that show and I have the ticket stub.
Tom: No shit? Yeah crazy.
Mike: Didn’t play but it was a fan. I love Woolworthy.
Logan: Well, I want to thank you guys so much for sitting down and taking time with me. I’m looking forward to your set later today.
Tom: See you in Lombard, man.
Logan: I’ll be there.
The Plain White T’s showed once again what makes them the connective tissue for so many music fans, even beyond the scene. Hitting tracks off of 5 separate albums, and even throwing in a cover by Chicago suburb brethren Fall Out Boy with their song “Dance, Dance”, the Lombard locals flaunted their expansive and entrapping discography. They will wrap up the year opening for Waterparks in December and playing the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival in Chicago. You can find tour dates here as we await what is next for the quintet.
