20 YEARS OF TEARS TOUR AT TOYOTA OAKDALE THEATRE IN WALLINGFORD
Nostalgia runs rampant in a venue full of elder emos with bad knees, student debt, and an unspeakable number of band tees in their dresser. Hawthorne Heights has once again curated a wildly successful tour featuring a litany of throwback bands from the world of emo, pop punk, and post hardcore. On the heels of their wildly successful “Is for Lovers” tour in 2023, designed to reinvigorate the Myspace era of emo and pop punk, Hawthorne Heights assembled a rotating crew of emo-household name bands to support them as they celebrate the 20 year anniversary of their seminal record, The Silence in Black and White.
The show opened with a lighthearted set by This Wild Life, an acoustic duo with a relaxing sing-a-long style that lends itself well to the more relaxed of the emo kids as a warmup for what would come later in the show. Vocalist Kevin Jordan dubbed themselves with aptly hilarious titles such as: “Discount Dashboard Confessional,” “Kirkland City and Colour,” and “Hot Topic Mumford and Sons.” It’s always refreshing when a band can take themselves a little less seriously and simply entertain a crowd with a set of straight-forward acoustic tracks. They got the crowd singing along with tracks like “Catie Rae” and a cover of Taking Back Sunday’s classic “Cute Without the E (Cut from the Team)”. Kevin Jordan closed the show out with a combo of acrobatics and a bongo solo.
The tone of the show shifted drastically as the straight edge hardcore staple Stick To Your Guns came to the stage swinging, a jarring but rather appreciated contrast to This Wild Life’s set. With intense riffs, d-beat drums, and powerhouse vocals, Stick to Your Guns brought the quintessential hardcore sound to the show’s lineup. They filled the room with chaotic and passionate energy with their fast-paced heartfelt hardcore anthems like “Against Them All” and “Invisible Rain”.
When Armor for Sleep took the stage, they once again brought the tone of the room to a different headspace; one of atmospheric and dream-like wonder with the alternative rock feel of “dreamo” post-hardcore. They enthralled the crowd with their poetic lyricism and post-hardcore centric guitar melodies.
Anberlin brought a new sound to a familiar repertoire. With Memphis May Fire vocalist Matty Mullins taking the helm on vocals after founding vocalist Stephen Christian stepped away from the band, Anberlin showcased a set of their most memorable tracks like “Dismantle. Repair” and “Feel Good Drag” with a contemporary twist on the songs brought by Mullins’ unique vocal style. Matty Mullins showed immense gratitude to the band for allowing him to step in and perform with his childhood favorite band as well as announcing the new music they will be recording together.
Post hardcore legends, Thursday followed up with a swift punch to the gut and a firm tug on the heart strings of the endearing crowd. The band’s eccentric but charismatic vocalist Geoff Rickly led the band with his captivating stage presence heavily layered with sheer chaotic energy and his dynamic vocal prowess. The band covered all of their essential fan favorites like “Signals Over The Air” and “War All The Time” along with showcasing their new single “Application for Release From the Dream”.
At last, the show hosts and emo punk pioneers Hawthorne Heights took to the stage to play through their debut and most influential record, The Silence in Black and White from start to finish. This album features their hit singles “Ohio is for Lovers” and “Niki FM” along with crowd favorites like “Blue Burns Orange” and “The Transition”. The band felt comfortable in their element with a crowd that was so full of nostalgic love. Hawthorne Heights helped shape the genre of emo punk/post hardcore while simultaneously shaping the hearts of young emos who grew up with the band on repeat in their MP3 players.
