Haunted Holidays @ The Rave | Milwaukee, WI

There’s nothing like good friends, great music, and a bit of nostalgia to get you into the holiday spirit, and the 1st annual Haunted Holidays: Scary Little Christmas show at The Rave in Milwaukee delivered on all three. With a stacked lineup of The Wrecks, The Maine, and All Time Low, this holiday hit was a guaranteed success from the start.

The Wrecks opened up with an energetic performance that carried over into the rest of the night. Despite the controversy behind frontman Nick Anderson’s recent actions, fans still gathered merrily to sing along to favorite songs like “Turn It Up” and “Favorite Liar”. The Wrecks have been keeping fans old and new entertained with their legendary stage presence for the past few years as they’ve started gaining more momentum in the rock scene that they won’t be losing any time soon.

A Band Called The Maine brought in an equally huge uproar with their set (apologizing for the inconvenience of getting in the way of ATL performing sooner, not that any of us would have minded The Maine headlining), blending in songs old and new into a show that never fails to disappoint. With such a large following and sincere approach to music that always keeps fans engaged, The Maine kept concertgoers on their feet and moving with songs like Right Girl, Am I Pretty, and their holiday hit “Ho Ho Hopefully”. The Arizona natives always know how to draw an audience into their performance and their set felt like it went by way too quickly.

Last, but certainly not least, All Time Low kept the show merry and bright with an eclectic set list of songs from their entire discography. The holiday lights that took over the Eagles Ballroom for the night pulsed in tune with the music and added an extra layer of awesomeness to what ended up being a cool show to begin with. Everyone’s inner 15-year-old came out to the rock to songs like “Darkside of Your Room, Damned If I Do Ya, Lost in Stereo, and in the spirit of bringing people together, ATL had a fan come up on stage during “Merry Christmas, Kiss My Ass” and propose to their girlfriend (she said yes), bringing in a heartwarming close to the evening.

Review by Skylar Cote