20 Years Of Tears United States Summer Tour 9.14.2024
Earlier this year Hawthorne Heights posted a photo to their Instagram with a teardrop and the number 20 inside of it. When I came across this I was thinking “Are they going back on tour?” “What songs are they going to play?” etc. The day following the announcement, Hawthorne Heights revealed the details of their upcoming tour named "20 Years of Tears." The tour will feature a lineup of bands including Thursday, Saosin, I See Stars, and Armor For Sleep on select dates. During the show I attended, the supporting bands alongside Hawthorne Heights were Anberlin, Cartel, Stick To Your Guns, Emery, and This Wild Life. When I was driving to the show, I was unsure what to expect when I got there since this was a venue I had never heard of before the show announcement. The band played at The FOrX Summer Stage. When I first arrived, there weren’t many people there yet, and I could already hear This Wild Life playing their set. I was surprised that the show had started before the listed show time. I wouldn’t have wanted the show to be anywhere else; the view from the venue was amazing since they were playing in the middle of nowhere. No matter where you looked, you could see the trees changing colors. This is a venue I will be returning to in the future.
This Wild Life is an acoustic duo from Long Beach, California. I try to catch a show whenever these guys are on tour. I love the energy Kevin & Anthony bring to the table, even though these guys are mainly acoustic they know how to get a room moving. Unfortunately, I missed the show's beginning because it started earlier than what was listed on the venue's website. However, I was lucky enough to catch the last couple of songs performed by This Wild Life. They closed their set with "Ripped Away" and "No More Waiting." If you want to check out other events we’ve covered featuring This Wild Life Click Here for Celebrating 20 Years Of Ocean Avenue & Click here to see our coverage from the final Vans Warped Tour 2018.
Emery was formed in 2001 in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and later relocated to Seattle for a more vibrant musical environment. The band has released 10 albums since their breakout, with the latest being "The Night’s End: Lullaby Covers of Emery Songs." Although I've heard other fans in this music scene talk about these guys, I had never listened to them before. However, before the show, I gave their music a listen, and now I understand why people love their music so much, I enjoy Toby Morrell's voice; it still gives off "emo" and "alternative" vibes without resembling every other alternative artist out there. When Emery came out on stage I was excited to see what they had to offer, I had only listened to them one time before going to this show. Let’s just say. Emery did not disappoint at all. Even though Emery has been around for 20 years, you could see and feel the passion that these guys left on the stage. They opened the set with “The Ponytail Parades” and they closed out their set with their number #1 song on Spotify “Walls”
Stick to Your Guns is an impressive hardcore punk band hailing from Orange County, California. The band's lineup comprises lead vocalist Jesse Barnett, bassist Andrew Rose, guitarists Chris Rawson and Josh James, and drummer Adam Galindo. The last time I saw Stick To Your Guns was back in 2020 when they played with Beartooth & Motionless In White on the Diseased & Disguised tour, If you want to see more from that show click here. Their music, which I regret not discovering earlier, perfectly aligns with my taste. Their thought-provoking lyrics cover a wide range of topics, from introspection to societal and political commentary. Notably, Stick to Your Guns is closely associated with the straight-edge subculture. The crowd became super excited and started filling the pit area just before Stick to Your Guns came out on stage. They began by doing a little jig to the song "Tequila" by The Champs as they made their way onto the stage. Then they walked back off the stage and came back out dancing again to their respective spots, prompting everyone in the crowd to shout "Tequila" even louder than the first time. Since the venue didn't have a barricade to separate the crowd from the stage, the energy of the fans was even higher. At one point, a fan grabbed the mic while Jesse was holding it to the crowd and screamed the lyrics to the song. I enjoyed the energy these guys had to offer after being on the road for over 50 days. Stick To Your Guns played fan favorites such as "Nothing You Can Do to Me" and "Against Them All."
Cartel is an American pop punk band from Conyers, Georgia, United States, and they formed in 2003. I only know one song by Cartel, and it's called "The Perfect Mistake." Did you know that Cartel was featured on the MTV television series Band in a Bubble in 2007? They were part of an experiment where they were given 20 days to write and record a full album. The band has only released 4 albums so far, but they have plenty of singles to check out. Their latest single, "The End," was released in 2022. I listened to more of their music before the show and it got me even more amped to see their performance. I hope they plan on releasing a new album in the future. As Cartel made their entrance onto the stage, a wave of anticipation swept through the crowd, drawing fans closer together in excitement. I found myself caught up in the thrill of seeing them perform. Throughout their set, they played 8 songs. Among the standout moments were their performances of "Say Anything (Else)," "Burn This City," and, of course, "The Perfect Mistake." I couldn’t help myself but sing along.
Anberlin is an alternative rock band formed in Florida in 2002. Since 2007, the lineup has consisted of lead vocalist Stephen Christian, guitarists Joseph Milligan and Christian McAlhaney, bassist Deon Rexroat, and drummer Nathan Young. However, more recently, Stephen Christian decided to go on hiatus, and Matty Mullins of Memphis May Fire stepped into his place as a vocalist. The band has released 8 albums and 2 EPs since 2003. After listening to Anberlin's new music featuring Matty Mullins, I was even more excited to see them perform again, especially after seeing them last when they headlined the iMatter Festival 2022. You can find the video about Stephen's hiatus here. When Anberlin came out on the stage I was ready to see them play the set. Matty Mullins stepped in for Stephen while he is on a hiatus from touring, seeing him perform was a nice change of pace from seeing them perform with Stephen. Anberlin of course laid it out all on the table for this show, the energy these guys had was off the charts. Of course, they played older songs “Never Take Friendship Personal” & “The Feel Good Drag” and they played new songs “Seven” & “Walk Alone” Matty of course took the time to thank all the fans for accepting him as the new singer of Anberlin, but also thanked the whole tour for having them on the road together, Matty also joked around and said “I got in trouble last night for going 2 minutes over schedule so lets get to the next song”. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for Anberlin & Matty Mullins.
Hawthorne Heights is an American rock band formed in Dayton, Ohio, in 2001. their lineup currently consists of JT Woodruff (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Matt Ridenour (bass guitar, backing vocals), Mark McMillon (lead guitar, unclean vocals), and Chris Popadak (drums, percussion). Hawthorne Heights has released 17 albums since 2004. When Hawthorne Heights came out on stage everyone was in the pit, no one was sitting on the lawn anymore. This tour was dedicated to their album The Silence In Black and White. They played the entire album almost in order, they had to save “Ohio Is For Lovers” last to close out the show. During their performance, I caught a sign out of my eye that said something like “Hawthorne Heights was my mom’s first concert, now you’re mine.” Later during the show, the band brought the kid up on stage and said that it was amazing and thanked them for coming out to the show (You can watch that video here). As I was leaving the show you could hear JT saying how much he loved that this was a tight-knit show, they played in New York City at an earlier date and were able to play at such a beautiful venue on a smaller scale. I love catching these guys every time they come around it's always a pleasure to watch their performances.
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