When I saw ONE OK ROCK was coming to Dallas, TX and bringing Stand Atlantic along with them, I knew I had to clear my schedule and make it to the show. After a long day of work, sitting in the heat and the traffic, I finally made it to the venue and experienced, I would arguably say, one of the best shows of 2025 yet. With over 30 years of musical experience between the 2 bands, it is no wonder why fans of every age in attendance were having the time of their life.
Stand Atlantic started the night off with a bang. Formed back in 2012 out in Sydney, Australia, I would argue that if you were an emo kid growing up, Stand Atlantic was on heavy rotation all the time and who would blame you? Take one of my favorite tracks, "Coffee at Midnight". The song gets played in my apartment at least once a week and I've been doing that ever since the release back in 2017 on the Sidewinder EP. The band has been consistently improving their craft with each and every release. I'm definitely not the only one who feels that way because as Stand Atlantic played in Dallas, all you could see was a sea of fans screaming along to the lyrics, dancing to every beat, and having an all-around great time. Hell, even the venue staff was seen moving and head-banging along for some of the songs. While I won't sit here and lie and say I know much of their recent work, getting to hear "deathwish" live to close out their set was absolutely amazing. I think it is only a matter of time before Stand Atlantic comes back on their own headliner.
Where to even begin when talking about ONE OK ROCK? For starters, I was absolutely shocked when I did my research and realized the band has been around since 2005 and with their newest release, Detox, the band has released 11 full length albums. But then again, I remember randomly coming across the band on YouTube one day after high school... which was back in 2011... Never mind, maybe it does make sense the band has been around this long. Blending elements of pop-punk, post-hardcore, alt-rock, and emo, I don't think the band truly "fits" into any one genre. Arguably, this is what makes the band stand out in the vast ocean of bands. Not only is it the musical talent of the band that helps them stand out, but their production for live shows is absolutely stunning. From the visuals to setup to stage presence, ONE OK ROCK knows how to keep a crowd entertained.
As the band took the stage to a deafening roar of applause from the crowd, every fan in attendance was on their feet to cheer on the band as they opened their set with "Puppets Can't Control You". While the performance of the band was nothing short of amazing, what was equally as amazing was seeing how dedicated fans were to learn each and every lyric, both in English and Japanese, and sang it louder than the speakers were even able to.
Each and every song got progressively better as the crowd got more and more hyped alongside the band. I am quite surprised that the crowd didn't set off the Richter Scale with the amount of jumping they were doing while my favorite song, "The Beginning", played. Hell, I almost forgot I was there to photograph because I was too busy singing in the photo-pit.
Another bucket list band crossed off the list, and all I have to say is this: If you are able to catch ONE OK ROCK on the Detox Tour before it ends, do it. Buy yourself a ticket and have the time of your life. You won't be disappointed.
