Concert Review : State Champs | Agora Theater | 01.11.2026

It was an impressively packed night of glorious pop-punk at the Agora theater on Sunday night (January 11, 2026). State Champs (and a whole bunch of friends) are currently on tour in celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the album “Around the World and Back.” The band, supported by Mallory Run, Real Friends, and Driveways made for an overload of power chords, irresistible hooks, crowd surfing, with a dash of friendly moshing.

First to the stage, Mallory Run noted that the audience had a long night of awesomeness ahead of them before giving way to two more pre-State Champs acts. Frontman Dan McClune sported his Cleveland Browns jersey and did a fine job of setting the tone for the night. Singalongs and good vibes all around! This was even evident between bands, when the crowd sang along to Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance songs playing on the speakers. The crowd was full of pop punk veterans, including some die-hard regulars and even some first-time concert goers.  

State Champs hit the stage will full force. From the opening notes of “Eyes Closed” to the final ones of “Slow Burn” (which is actually a bonus track on the rerelease of the album), they blew the roof of the place. The crowd was nonstop thrashing and surfing over one another, keeping the crowd control up front on their toes the entire set, which concluded with a couple of songs from all four of their other albums.

Lead singer Derek DiScanio is such a charismatic front man, he had the crowd in the palm in the hands the entire night. During songs like “Tooth and Nail,” he had what looked to be the entire crowd waving their hands up and down in unison. He bounced all over that stage, from the drum set in the back, to the risers they placed at the front. Guitarist Tyler Szalkowski’s playing was as tight and dynamic as always. Bassist Ryan Scott Graham and drummer Evan Ambrosio were the all-important backbone of the fast tempo songs. The band has been playing together for over a decade at this point, and their cohesion shows.

The 2000 capacity Agora isn’t small, but, because of the fan dedication and the energy of the acts, the show did have vibe of a more intimate venue. The openers were all glad to be there, stating things like how they had recently played much smaller venues like Mahall’s, so to be playing the Agora was a treat.

I’ve been to these entire album shows where someone people in the crowd didn’t realize that’s what was happening when they bought the tickets. They just see the band is in town and go to the show, without realizing the bulk of the setlist will be a single album. While that might upset people at other shows, it won’t at this type of show, because there are so many other bands of the same genre, there’s bound to be something for everyone. Plus, the entire State Champs album is full of bangers. It’s impossible to not have a good time.