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By TOP8SCENE | Photos by EJ Meredith, Andre Paras, TOP8SCENE | Dec 17, 2025
WE ALL KNOW 2025 HAS BEEN THE STARTING LINE'S YEAR.
After a long-anticipated full-blown comeback and the band dropping one of their coolest pieces of work to date, we had to make our way to Philly to close out the year the right way... at the annual Reconnect holiday weekend (aka the most wonderful time of the year).
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We got the chance to chat with fans from all over, many of them who had traveled from out of state just for these shows. After experiencing it firsthand, it’s easy to see why Reconnect has become a tradition people return to year after year.
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We hit up both nights to bring you the full Reconnect rundown:
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Eternal Youth made our Top Albums of the Year for a reason, and hearing these songs live only made the album that much better. The band graced fans with a handful of new tracks over the weekend, including jams like “Curveball,” “I See How It Is,” and one of our new live favorites, “Blame.” Fans were also fed with an emotional acoustic spin of “Granted,” and the earth-shattering first live performances of “Humility” and “Eternal Youth” were a real treat. Coming from The Starting Line's heaviest album to date, these songs go just as hard live as you would expect them to.
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The weekend was stacked heavily with some of the coolest bands we’ve ever seen play together. Night one took place at the Theater of Living Arts, and kicked off with Philly fresh faces, Jet Fuel Soda, who absolutely crushed their set and brought us the raw energy that started the weekend festivities off right. They were followed by Copeland, who mesmerized us with their intricate guitar work and super-chill vibe the entire set.
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The second The Starting Line hit the stage, the energy was instantly turned on, opening with the absolute banger “Curveball.” Drummer Tom Gryskiewicz’s killer skills during this song set the tone for the entire night to come. There’s just something about that beat that hits you in the gut, and as a set opener, it takes the excitement to a whole different level.
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The setlist did not disappoint. They followed up with the underrated jam “Cheek to Cheek,” catching fans by surprise in the best way. Classics like “Hello Houston,” “Almost There, Going Nowhere,” and “Surprise, Surprise” played exactly as hard as expected, waking up dozens of crowd surfers. Both nights also delivered fan favorites like “Leaving,” “Up and Go,” “Island,” and of course, the non-encore-encore “The Best of Me.” (TSL doesn’t do encores, and we respect them for it.)
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You can tell The Starting Line really appreciates their fans, having thanked them for sticking around all of these years. They even paused their set briefly to play rock-paper-scissors with a very excited concert-goer who had traveled all the way from Texas to see them live for the first time. Honestly, the entire room was just full of love and gratitude from both ends. It was special to see.
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​Night two at the Fillmore was just as epic, with plenty of familiar faces in the crowd returning from night one. Philly got a mini Drive-Thru Records reunion featuring an iconic request-only acoustic set from Ace Enders, all the hits from New Jersey’s finest Hidden in Plain View (a Top8 favorite), and the kings of pop, Home Grown, who brought one of the funnest vibes we’ve seen at a show yet. Zero misses across the board. Seeing this bill in 2025 was surreal and exactly what we didn’t know we needed. By the time The Starting Line stepped out, the crowd was already on fire and more than ready for their final set of the weekend.
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This time, the band came out swinging with “I See How It Is,” the opening track from Eternal Youth. If you’ve heard it, you already know the vocals absolutely rip, but live? You really feel those first few lines smash through your chest. Another solid choice for an opener to set the mood for a fun time. The song was a blast to jam along to and was clearly a crowd favorite.
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The “Direction (album) heads,” as bassist/vocalist Ken Vasoli called them, got plenty of love both nights, but on night two, the crowd was really fed. The band dropped the title track, and the live version elevated the song to a crazy-new level. It was easily one of our favorite moments of the weekend, with Kenny and keyboardist/backing vocalist Brian Schmutz going all in on the extreme vocals.
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Throughout the weekend, guitarists Mike Golla and Matt Watts were turned all the way up. Mike also joined Ken for the acoustic renditions of “Granted” both nights, the stripped-back take that made us hear the song in a completely new way and put us in our feelings. It was an emotional aspect of the shows as Ken touched on grief, especially during the holiday season, a moment that everyone in the room could relate to in one way or another.
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A huge standout highlight from night two was the band pulling out “Luck” from their criminally underrated Anyways EP. We were more than stoked to see it make an already loaded setlist, and so many great picks were pulled from different eras of the band’s catalog. TSL’s discography runs deep, and fans got hit with 22 songs both nights, including the hits and the underrated tunes. Best holiday gift imaginable? We think so.
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Overall, The Starting Line turned the energy and volume all the way up. The real-life grit and rawness of their live performances, featuring all the heart they have for both the tunes and their audience, translated into one of the best gigs we’ve been to yet.
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TOP8’s take?
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It’s easy to see why fans travel year after year; it truly feels like a family reunion full of the best people around. Long-distance friends reconnecting, familiar faces returning every year from even the furthest of places, and a band that continues to show up for their fans time and time again.
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The Reconnect shows were something out of this world. Not only did the performances absolutely destroy, but the entire weekend ran on love, authenticity, and the all-around vibes. No notes.
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