St. Louis turned out in solid numbers on a Sunday night at The Pageant for State Champs’ celebration of ten years of Around the World and Back. The bill mixed established names with rising ones, and the crowd reflected that range—longtime fans of the older acts alongside people checking out the newer ones. It was a straightforward, high-energy night of pop-punk that stayed engaging from start to finish.
Like Roses opened and handled the early slot well. Their mix of confessional lyrics and punchy, melodic hooks worked in the room as it filled, and they kept the energy up without overstaying. It was a clean, professional set that got people locked in before the bigger names took over.
Taylor Acorn followed and turned in a very strong set. She was the main reason I wanted to review the show, I became a fan back during the covid days while stuck in my house scrolling TikTok videos. She ran through material that included “Hangman,” “I Think I’m in Love,” “Goodbye, Good Riddance,” “Burning House,” “Crashing Out,” “Greener,” “Shapeshifting,” and “Psycho,” and the songs landed cleanly. Her vocals were sharp and controlled, the band behind her was tight, and the crowd responded especially well to the bigger choruses. At one point she put on a St. Louis Blues jersey, a small local touch that drew a good reaction from the room. She is clearly comfortable on a bigger stage and has the songs and presence to keep moving up the bill. It was an impressive performance and she will be headlining shows before you know it.
Cartel took the middle slot and delivered exactly what their longtime fans wanted. The band moved between the big mid-2000s anthems and later material with ease, and “Honestly” still hits as hard as it did when it first broke through. The Pageant crowd treated it like the classic it is, singing along without needing much prompting. It was polished and nostalgic in the best way, a reliable bridge between the openers and the headliners.
State Champs closed the night with a long set built around the anniversary. Derek DiScanio and the rest of the band sounded locked in as they worked through “Secrets,” “Elevated,” “All You Are Is History,” “Around the World and Back,” and deeper cuts alongside newer material. The room stayed on its feet, the choruses were loud, and the band carried the celebratory tone without leaning too hard on nostalgia. A local fan even got pulled up for a vocal moment on one of the tracks, which fit the vibe of the evening. They remain one of the more consistent live acts in the scene, and the anniversary framing gave the set a clear focus.
Overall it was a well-paced night at The Pageant. Every band on the bill did its job, the sound held up, and the crowd stayed with it through the whole show. Taylor Acorn stood out as one of the highlights—she put on a good set and looked at home up there—but the night belonged to the full lineup celebrating a decade of State Champs.
