Photo Gallery: The Wonder Years/Hot Mulligan/Carly Cosgrove @ Empire Live, 03/18/2023

By Ben Gifford On Mar 19, 2023

ALBANY – From haunted mansions to a sold-out parking garage party, The Wonder Years turned the volume UP for pop-punk fans at Empire Live Saturday night.

Philadelphia-based artist Carly Cosgrove opened the night for The Hum Goes On Forever tour that has made its way across the US. The band, which is made up of three members, Lucas, Helen, and Tyler, proved the speakers can be just as loud as any five-member group. The energy was beginning to become electric as the crowd sang back.

Feeding off that energy was Michigan-based emo rock band Hot Mulligan. After signing with No Sleep Records in 2017, Hot Mulligan has landed over 780,000 monthly Spotify listeners. Now, even though Empire live doesn’t have the capacity for numbers like that, it was clear the house was filled with fans. Top hits like *Equip Sunglasses* and their new single Shhhh! Golf is On had the crowd surfing on headbanger vibes.

The crowd surfing was just the start of The Wonder Years. Originally formed in Lansdale, PA – the headliner didn’t hold back with breakdowns and Came Out Swinging. The band brought a setlist packed with emotion and honesty about life events that so many can relate to, but it didn’t end there. Lead Singer Dan “Soupy” Campbell wanted to request one thing from the crowd before the night was over. He asked everyone, at some point, to make an act of kindness in the world that has been so dark lately. There is no doubt that no matter what you are going through, there will be a local concert that you can connect to.

Any concert is a good time, but there is just something about a music group that goes from practicing in a basement to playing at sold-out venues across the US.