State Champs with Cartel at Newport Music Hall

State Champs headline Newport Music Hall on Wednesday, November 25, 2026, the night before Thanksgiving, with Cartel, Taylor Acorn and Pinkshift on a four-band bill that gets moving at 6:00 p.m.

The Albany, New York band has carried the pop-punk torch since the early 2010s with fast, bright songs about growing up and getting out. Cartel, from Conyers, Georgia, brings the 2005 favorite "Honestly" for anyone who came up on the first wave of the genre. Taylor Acorn writes emotional pop-rock with a big voice, and Baltimore's Pinkshift add a heavier, punk edge.

Thanksgiving Eve is one of the busiest nights of the year for bars around campus, as college students and alumni come home for the holiday, and this show gives that crowd a loud reason to reunite. With four bands on the bill, the early door time matters, so plan to arrive close to 6:00 to catch the openers.