“Be Excellent To Each Other”: Sparks The Rescue Turn Philly Into a Pop-Punk Time Capsule – Recap

TOP8 Scene
May 17
4 min read

just announced: savage hands and Of Virtue co-headlining tour — Photos: Christian Seas

“Be excellent to each other” – a reminder borrowed from “Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure” that Sparks The Rescue made sure to repeat to concert-goers at the fully-packed Philly show on May 9th alongside Wheatus. That’s exactly what the show experience carried. Full of positivity, the best of vibes, and songs that mean so much to so many people, we can confidently say that Sparks The Rescue created an environment full of excellence.

When we think of Sparks The Rescue, we’re brought back to a much simpler and fun time in life. Being young and carefree and screaming the words to ‘I Swear That She’s The One’ or blasting Worst Thing I’ve Been Cursed With like it was our own personal soundtrack in the 2010s. Safe to say, Sparks The Rescue has had a true impact on the pop punk scene. The band hit the end of 2025 with two heavy hitters: ‘Ice Storm of ‘98’ and ‘Chase the Dawn.’ Sparks toured this spring with Signal The Escape, The Sophomore Beat, and Wheatus. The mini tour ends on May 17th in Worcester, MA, and we hope there will be more to come ASAP.

There are typical nostalgia sets, and then there are shows like the one Sparks The Rescue put on at Philadelphia’s MilkBoy. The entire room was put into a time machine back to the late-2000s pop-punk era for the sold-out night, with the excitement of new tunes.

The Portland, Maine band took over the stage Saturday night, ready to turn the sold-out venue into a soundtrack of scene classics. The Philly crowd was fully locked in from the start. What began as a calm, but equally as excited room quickly exploded into sing-alongs, nonstop movement once the opening notes of 'Autumn' kicked things off. Every beat was turned up a notch by concertgoers who gave Sparks The Rescue the same energy that they have always deserved.

Despite a smaller setup, Sparks the Rescue somehow made the tiny space feel massive. Alex Roy twisted microphone cords like it was second nature (which might be a hidden talent) while Marty McMorrow tore up the front of the stage, delivering unclean vocals packed with urgency. Nathan Spencer’s drumming pushed the set forward with relentless momentum, while Patrick O’Connell shredded through each song alongside Toby McAllister and Ben Briggs, keeping the band’s energy alive from start to finish.

One of the night’s most memorable moments came before the set even properly began. Toby called attention to Patrick wearing a cropped Wheatus 'Teenage Dirtbag' shirt after jokingly suggesting the entire band should wear matching crop tops, but he was the only one actually to wear it. The crowd absolutely lost it, and we’re certain it boosted the Wheatus crop top sales for the night. Sparks the Rescue also made sure to shout out the band throughout the night, expressing how meaningful it was to share the bill with a band they’ve known for years.

The set toned down ever so slightly with 'Hello Mexico,' Compared to how high-energy the rest of the night had been, just enough for the room to breathe. Couples wrapped their arms around each other while the crowd shouted back lyrics like “It’s not hell when you’re around.” Alex even changed a lyric to reference Philadelphia: “…Philadelphia, I know that you’re the weather now,” which possibly earned the loudest reaction of the night.

New favorite 'Ice Storm of ’98' hit especially hard, giving listeners a chance to scream along to the new material. To end things off, right before the final song, the band made sure to take a “family photo” with the crowd behind them to remember the night, and by the time the band closed with “Saco Boys Have No Class,” the entire venue felt fully immersed in the chaos and nostalgia Sparks The Rescue brought with them.

You can tell that the band put their all into their set, but despite how tired they probably were afterwards, they headed to the merch table to meet concert-goers. We can confidently say that Sparks The Rescue was excellent to every person in that room.

TOP8’S TAKE?

We're SO happy they're here. Since 2005, Sparks The Rescue has reminded us of why so many people fell in love with pop-punk in the first place. They’re a big part of that initial love. That gratitude the band had throughout the night made the show feel less like show and more like a reunion between old friends. We’re more than stoked that they’re going strong, and genuinely can’t wait to see what the future has in store for them. For now, go spin ‘Chase the Dawn’ and ‘Ice Storm of ‘98.’ You won't regret it.