Around The World and Back again Tour Live at Buffalo Riverworks 11.06.2026
On June 15th, fans marked their calendars in anticipation of State Champs’ Around the World and Back Again Tour, and Buffalo Riverworks was the second stop on the run. A light mist of rain hung over the streets of Buffalo, but it did nothing to dampen the mood outside. Buffalo Sabres game fans flooded the surrounding downtown blocks, creating a lively buzz that carried straight toward the waterfront. Fans were slowly trickling into Riverworks early on, but as the night unfolded, the room steadily filled out, turning a quiet start into a packed house for a killer lineup featuring State Champs, Cartel, Taylor Acorn, and Like Roses.
Like Roses kicked off the night with Amy Schmalkuche (singer/guitarist), Kayla Gonzalez (bassist), and Preston Harper (drums); the hype radiated across the room from the very first note. They opened their set with “Sweet.” Fresh off their debut LP, After It Ends, they also pulled “Wrist,” “Buried,” and “Speak” from the new record. Even with the early crowd still filtering in, there was enough motion to spark the first crowd surfer of the night over the barricade.
Taylor Acorn’s set completely blew me away. Going into the show, I had no clue who she was or what her music sounded like. The moment she stepped onto the stage, a surge went through the fans at the barricade. Her vocals are incredibly powerful, kicking off her set with “Hangman” and “I Think I’m In Love.” Her guitarist, Ricky Jab, brought extra life to the stage by executing full spins and high kicks in sync with Taylor. By the time she launched into "Goodbye, Good Riddance" and "Burning House," the room had filled in significantly, with fans screaming every single lyric right back at her. Closing out on a massive high with "Psycho," the band left a huge impression. The drummer, Connor Allen, even handed a freshly used setlist directly to a fan in the front row before heading off.
Cartel was up next. The room went dark, the five-piece took their positions on stage, and the lights kicked on as they launched into "All Dancing." Bringing over two decades of history with them since forming in 2003, Cartel tore through a tight, fast-paced 11-song setlist. While heavily featuring tracks off their brand-new album Learning How To Cope, they stacked the fresh material alongside classic staples like "Give or Take," "Deadbeat Drag," and "Shirts & Skins." Singer Will Pugh poked fun and apologized for playing so many new songs, but that didn’t stop anyone from having a great time. They wrapped things up on the ultimate nostalgia trip with "Say Anything (Else)," which brought down the house and even prompted a handful of original, long-time fans to head for the doors on a high note right after the last chord faded.
State Champs closed out the night and turned Riverworks into complete chaos. They put on a massive 21-song set, showing off over a decade of history as pop-punk heavyweights. The highlight for album fans was getting to hear Around the World and Back in full and completely in order. But they didn't stop at just those 11 tracks. They also stacked the set with hits spanning all the way back to their 2013 debut album The Finer Things up through their 2024 self-titled record. The entire room was moshing, dancing, and singing along, with crowd surfers flying over the barricade one after another. At one point, bassist Ryan Graham stepped right onto the amp directly in front of me and played straight into my camera. Unfortunately, the photos came out too dark, but it was still an awesome moment. The coolest part of the night happened during the encore: Derek stepped out with a guitar to sing and play at the same time on stage for the first time ever on this tour. Seeing him hit that personal milestone on just the second stop of the run sent an already wild crowd completely over the edge to end the night.
Despite the rainy walk in and a couple of dark photos from the barricade, nights like this are exactly why we go to shows. Seeing a stacked lineup of heavy hitters and fresh talent all under one roof reminded everyone why pop-punk is as alive as ever. State Champs and company set the bar high early on this run. Don't miss them when they hit your city.