Concert Review: Summer School Tour ‘25

Words and Photos by Angelina Singer

Like many other descendants of the infamous Warped Tour legacy, the Summer School Tour is a brand-new offshoot to feature some of the hottest charting alt-rock and punk musicians from TikTok and Instagram. This year, featured artists included Huddy, Beauty School Dropout, Arrows in Action, If Not For Me, Taylor Acorn, Charlotte Sands, and Rain City Drive.

Unlike Warped tour, this was a small-venue run with only one stage, so the stage techs had to scramble to get the next band ready after the previous one finished their 20-or-so-minute set. The structure of it was unique, and ran smoothly, so that was impressive for a relatively new tour. However, I felt that it was hard to properly sink my teeth into the music of each artist from each bite-sized serving. Even then, it was still a fun experience to get to see some of my favorites perform their songs live, accompanied by customized on-stage graphics and lighting.

My fiancé was kind enough to accompany me to the show at the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts on Saturday night, August 9th. He knew that I was pretty much only going to the show to see Huddy and Taylor Acorn, but that I was casually interested in some of the other acts too (like Charlotte Sands and Arrows in Action). And of course, I had briefly educated him on the artists before going.

First up to the stage was Huddy — which was easily my favorite set of the night. He opened the show with his newest song “Vendetta” — an edgy rock tune about getting back at the people who did you wrong. I knew it from the very first piano note and was so excited when he appeared on the stage. With equal parts swagger and vocal resiliency, Huddy presented music that was every bit as good as the studio recordings, with the added stage presence element that he’s known for. Following his set were some of his other songs like “Party Crasher”, “Eulogy of You and Me” and the song he’s featured on with steampunk rock band Palaye Royale “Cyanide”. He also teased a new song that’s yet to be released.

Next up was Beauty School Dropout, and I was familiar with their music from a song they feature fellow TikTok sensation-turned-musician Jaden Hossler on (“Loser”, but they didn’t play that one live). I didn’t recognize much of their set, but they definitely played “We Made Plans & God Laughed”, and they also had a ton of energy that they brought to the table. Really every single artist of the night that I saw brought their A-game, which is why I was super bummed that the bass mix of the entire show was so heavy and only got more imbalanced towards the end of the night (but that may have been a venue problem that had nothing to do with the artists).

I think next was “If Not For Me” and I’ll be perfectly honest that I didn’t know any of their songs and their style wasn’t really my vibe. This was probably also compacted by the sound techs really fumbling the bass tones at this point, so most of what I was hearing was super fuzzed-out post-hardcore music. Unfortunately, most of the later acts of the night were harder to hear for this reason, but Taylor Acorn still made a great impression on me.

Taylor Acorn is an artist I knew from TikTok, who posted chill acoustic emo covers of nostalgic 2000s tunes. More recently, I found out that she had original music to offer as well, which did not disappoint. She played hit tunes like “I Think I’m in Love” which was a breath of fresh air after some of the heavier tunes prior. I also loved hearing “Shapeshifting” and “Psycho” which had both been stuck in my head at one point or another.

She also has a song with the band Arrows in Action, and I was surprised when they didn’t bring her out to join them on their song “Uncomfortably Numb”. They also had a fun set before Taylor’s, but once again, I didn’t recognize a lot of their music aside from the above-mentioned tune. There was an amusing moment where one of the guys in the band asked the crowd to promise to be loud in exchange for taking his pants off, which he did — only to reveal another pair of pants. Clever, fun, and a little cheeky — so that gave me a giggle.

Charlotte Sands was the last set that I stayed to watch, because at this point the bass levels were so through-the-roof, that even sitting up on the balcony seats made your fillings rattle (according to my fiancé). And he wasn’t wrong — there was something really unsettling about being enveloped in sound that isn’t easily sonically organized in the ear. And it was such a bummer because I think I would’ve really enjoyed her set if I could’ve heard the lyrics a lot clearer. She even brought out Taylor Acorn for an epic duet of huge vocal runs, “Final Nail” — a high-octane rock song with plenty of angst to keep even the most distinguished music fan entertained. Their dueling hair colors on stage was also really aesthetic — like fire and water, these two kept things flowing and vibrant.

Charlotte took a moment to thank everyone for showing up, mentioning that it was her birthday, and how it was so nice to be back for her hometown show with all her friends and family in the crowd. I didn’t realize that Charlotte was a fellow Massachusetts native, so that was cool to hear.

Unfortunately, I left after this set, so I can’t comment on Rain City Drive. I’m sure they were awesome too, but unless the sound guy got his act together, I kind of doubt the music was that much clearer. And at this point, I had been there for over four hours, so it was just time for me to bow out. But I wished I had stayed to at least meet Huddy and Taylor Acorn — ah well, maybe next time!

The Summer School Tour has ended its 2025 run, but you can follow their website for more updates on the next time school is in session. I’d still recommend going if you can — it’s a super easy way to see a bunch of lesser-known artists that just happen to be your favorite. Or, maybe you’ll even discover a new favorite to keep on repeat.