We sit down with Plain White T's at When We Were Young Fest to discuss the 20th anniversary of All That We Needed. They share the story behind joining the Jonas Brothers on stage and what truly makes them an emo band.
"I'd say Tom's broken heart is what makes this emo repeatedly, d**n."
Live from When We Were Young Fest, we catch up with our friends from Chicago, Plain White T's! As their landmark album All That We Needed celebrates its 20th anniversary, the band reflects on their definition of "emo"—pop punk songs written about girls —and how that shaped their sound. We get the details on their upcoming anniversary tour with We The Kings and a special front-to-back album show in San Francisco this December. The band also shares the full story of how a simple social media comment led to them performing their iconic songs with the Jonas Brothers live on stage in Tinley Park and Dallas.
Key Topics & Timestamps:
[00:09] The band's current most-listened-to emo songs (Taking Back Sunday, Yellowcard)
[01:14] What makes Plain White T's an emo band?
[01:50] Tom's repeated heartbreak as the source of their sound
[02:14] Celebrating 20 years of All That We Needed
[02:22] Upcoming tour with We The Kings & the special anniversary show
[03:31] The story behind performing with the Jonas Brothers
Guest/Band Links:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1xEkVgKFPaageHeepEKl2E
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plainwhitets
Official Website: https://www.plainwhitets.com/
Tour Dates: https://www.plainwhitets.com/tour
Episode Highlights:
"When I was a kid, I defined emo as... pop punk songs written about girls... In that case, we are very emo."
"I'd say Tom's broken heart is what makes this emo repeatedly."
"We're literally playing All That We Needed front to back... Which is pretty sick."