PHOTOS: idobi Radio Summer School Tour – Charlotte Sands, Taylor Acorn, Beauty School Dropout + more in Worcester, MA (08.09.25)
Now in its second year, the idobi Radio Summer School Tour on Saturday features a strong lineup of buzzworthy pop punk/alt rock artists. Massachusetts native Charlotte Sands joined forces with Nashville singer-songwriter Taylor Acorn and pop punk bands Arrows in Action, If Not For Me, Beauty School Dropout, and Rain City Drive. TikTok influencer and emo rapper Huddy is also appearing on the tour.
Worcester was the second-to-last stop on the tour, as it concluded on Sunday night in Philadelphia. For Charlotte Sands, in addition to being a homecoming show, she was also celebrating her birthday.
Summer School is a traveling fest founded by Kevin Lyman (Warped Tour), Eric Tobin (Hopeless Records), Michael Kaminsky (KMGMT) that channels the ethos of Warped, old-school Lollapalooza Seven rising artists & bands traveling around the US all summer, alternating set times each night, and $35 tickets make it an affordable show as well.
The night was opened with a set by TikTok influencer Huddy, who has also been releasing emo rap music since 2021; his most recent single, “Vendetta,” came out in early June.
The run of show is set up similarly to Warped Tour in the way that the order of acts varies each night, and there is no headliner in the traditional sense. Up next was Los Angeles-based rock band Beauty School Dropout, they’re currently hyping up the release of their third studio album, Where Did All the Butterflies Go? Due out September 5th.
If Not For Me, a Pennsylvania-based metalcore group, was up next, their most recent release is a ten-song LP titled Everything You Wanted, which was released via Thriller Records.
Perhaps the loudest cheer of the night was for pop rock trio Arrows in Action, from Gainsville, FL. The group began releasing music in 2017 and has since amassed a loyal fan base with their music as well as on-stage antics. Before starting their set, they came out with small beach balls designed to look like basketballs and tossed them into the crowd. Arrows in Action have released a slew of new music this year, with the latest being a single called “Corner of Your Mind.”
Pop punk singer Taylor Acorn got her turn next. Acorn is on the road after putting out a ten-song record last year called Survival in Motion. This year, she put out the single “Goodbye, Good Riddance” in July.
Birthday girl Charlotte Sands got the good fortune of being able to celebrate with a hometown set. The lone New England native on the lineup, she brought the local flavor in a big way, including a moment when the rest of the touring party all came out for a group celebration of her birthday. She was given a birthday sash and tiara to wear while performing as well.
The evening was capped off with a set by Florida rock band Rain City Drive. The band is fronted by vocalist Matt McAndrew, who finished as the runner-up on season seven of. The other members of the band are former members of the Johnny Craig-fronted project Slaves. RCD’s most recent album is their 2024 record Things Are Different Now. They’ve also followed that with a pair of non-album singles this year, “East Exit” and “Ride or Die.”
The efforts to recapture some of the magic of the original Warped Tour have paid dividends with the Summer School tour. The idea of bringing together artists in the early stages of their career on a showcase tour with no true headliner is what once made Warped Tour the gold standard.
Photos – Charlotte Sands, Taylor Acorn, Arrows in Action, If Not For Me, Beauty School Dropout, and Huddy in Worcester, MA on August 9th:
