On March 6th, 2026, pop punk giants The Wonder Years brought their "No Closer to Heaven" tour to Raleigh, NC, at The Ritz. The tour includes fellow pop punk bands Knuckle Puck and Equipment. The US leg of this tour started on March 4th and will be running through April 12th.
I have been wanting to branch out and explore reviewing different genres lately, and a pop punk show was a good start for me. I typically do not enjoy pop punk much at all; however, one of my best friends is obsessed with pop punk and told me that this would be a great show to see.
I took her advice, and despite all my apprehension, I made it to The Ritz on the 6th to see The Wonder Years give their all. I wanted to be able to give my opinions and thoughts on this show without being completely biased, so I also asked some friends at the show what their thoughts were for each set so I can be fair and compare our thoughts, which was fun to do! Evan and Theron are definitely more seasoned in pop punk knowledge and have been to many pop punk shows, so they offered some good feedback!
EQUIPMENT
The first band on the bill was Equipment, based out of Toledo, Ohio. I asked several people about Equipment, but it appears as though it was a lot of people's first time seeing this band as well. The set was a good length, and it started exactly on time. To me, it sounded exactly like I expected a pop punk band to sound (not exactly a good thing to me). It was fairly generic, and nothing stood out too much to me. I can understand why they were on the bill, but it seems like they are still trying to figure out the sound or vibe that will make them stand out from the rest of the pop punk bands. Overall, they performed well, and they looked like they were having fun, but I did not really enjoy the vocals. I also wish that the bass was a little louder to balance out the vocals and guitar, but that is not the band's fault.
MY RATING OF THIS SET: 2 pizzas in the backseat out of 5
I asked my friends Evan and Theron what their thoughts were on Equipment's set as well, because I felt like I was being too harsh. Here is what Evan and Theron thought:
EVAN'S THOUGHTS: At first I thought it was good, but I feel like they haven't really found their identity yet. They feel like they're kind of like a conglomeration of a lot of different things. I feel like if they could, you know, kind of settle on something, they could really find their identity. They could probably procure a pretty original sound with something unique. Their instruments were pretty good, and they had really good gear. I just, I don't know. Their vocals were kind of...you need to work on that, man. Their harmonies were not hitting either, to be honest. I felt bad for the bassist. Like, the mic was not even on, you could barely hear her. It was two or three songs it definitely seemed to affect. Sometimes it was hard to even hear the bass too, except for the bass solo parts. I'd probably give this set a 2 out of 5.
THERON'S THOUGHTS: They sound like they're still trying to develop. They sound like they don't really know what direction they're going. I mean, there were some bright spots, like the last, I'd say, like 2 to 3 songs, really. They seemed to come into their own. But those first 3, I just didn't really know what was going on. There's a lot of falsetto too, which I mean is fine, but it's just like in every song it seems a little weird. I was looking for something more powerful or outstanding, something like that. But I think all in all, it was not bad at all, for sure. I give them maybe like a 3 out of 5.
AVERAGE RATING: 2.5 pizzas in the backseat out of 5
KNUCKLE PUCK
Next on the bill was Knuckle Puck. I have heard a lot of good things about this band, and everyone that I talked to about them at the show was super excited to see them perform. My friend who advised me to go to this show has played Knuckle Puck for me a few times, and I have never hated their sound. At this point in the show, I was ready for a change of pace and energy. I wanted to see people crowd surfing, moshing, and really enjoying themselves. I was not disappointed at all. Knuckle Puck is clearly a well-versed band and very professional on stage. They knew how to command the room without even demanding it. The crowd's energy was pulsing! I have never been to a show where I felt like I was living vicariously through the crowd while I was in the same room like this. It was a really cool experience to watch. This band was an incredible change of pace, and I actually really enjoyed the whole set. The bass and drums sounded so full. Vocalist Joe Taylor was hopping around and vibing the whole time. They played 10 songs, including songs such as "No Good," "You and I," "Plastic Brains," "Green Eyes," and "Untitled." I was excited that I actually knew a song or two from this set! This is the kind of pop punk that I could get behind and enjoy!
MY RATING OF THIS SET: 4 silhouettes on the ceiling out of 5
EVAN'S THOUGHTS: Yeah, they were really good. Joe just knows how to get a crowd going. He just has so much energy. He's always bouncing around. I've never seen a double moment from him. I wish they could have played more, but The Wonder Years are playing a super long set, so I get it. It's an easy 4 or 5 rating.
THERON'S THOUGHTS: I mean, I love Knuckle Puck. You know what you're getting with them. They played pretty much what I was expecting to hear. They played "No Good," which is my favorite song. It's like a 4 out of 5, probably.
AVERAGE RATING: 4 silhouettes on the ceiling out of 5
THE WONDER YEARS
To top off the night, The Wonder Years hopped on stage at precisely 9pm. This tour is for the 10th anniversary of their fifth studio album, "No Closer to Heaven." To honor the album, The Wonder Years played this album in full! Along with playing the entire album, they also played 7 other songs! This set was crazy long. I believe it was about an hour and a half long. I was not really sure what to expect from this band. I have always heard about them from my friends, but I don't think I have ever actually listened to them prior to this show. The first thing I noticed while they were on stage was the outpour of emotion radiating from the band and the crowd. They were fueling each other. I do not have any attachment to this album; however, even I was feeling emotional while listening to them. This band has phenomenal stage presence, and you can tell they are veterans of their craft. I was not expecting to enjoy this set as much as I did. I can see why this band is always mentioned when pop punk is being discussed. I have a lot of respect for them now. While I probably will not go out of my way to listen to them on my own, I would definitely not be opposed to seeing this band perform again!
Another noteworthy thing I would like to mention is how NICE the fans were. I think one of the biggest things that has soured me on pop punk music was how awful the fans were at some of the shows I went to with my friend back in high school. I had several bad experiences with cliquey, rude, and self-entitled pop punk fans that made those concert experiences miserable. However, this experience was completely different for me! I never once felt out of place or unwelcomed by people in the crowd. I was able to talk to several really nice people while waiting in line to get into the show. There were other nice people I talked to briefly throughout the show, and they were excited to talk to me and share their thoughts on the bands too. It was a great experience and really changed how I view pop punk and their fans. I am sure that The Wonder Years are proud that they have cultivated such a wonderful, kind, and welcoming fanbase! To anyone I was able to talk to at the show, thank you!
MY RATING OF THIS SET: 3.5 bowls of soup out of 5
EVAN'S THOUGHTS: I mean, it's great, don't get me wrong. It's awesome music, but it's just depressing as hell. It's so emotional. I found out he (vocalist Dan "Soupy" Campbell) literally wrote it about his grandpa dying. I was like, "Oh. Aw. My grandpa died recently." I wondered why it strikes me the way it does before finding that out. Yeah, it is very emotional. I mean, they're playing a full album. Full album and songs after that. That's like 14 or 15 songs. And then they're doing, like, six encores or so. Which sucks, because Knuckle Puck only played, like, nine songs. Soupy is...I mean, he is the definition of a front hand. Except for Joe. I would probably give this set a 5 out of 5.
I did not get Theron's thoughts on the show written down, but I think he mostly agreed with what Evan said.
AVERAGE RATING: 4.5 bowls of soup out of 5
The "No Closer to Heaven" tour is nowhere near over! If you get a chance to make it out to one of the remaining shows, I would highly recommend it! This was a super fun experience, and even though I am not personally a huge fan of pop punk, I am happy I went.
The remaining tour will have some different opening support, including Initiate from March 17th to March 29th and Weakened Friends from March 31st to April 12th.
