Few genres embrace album anniversaries like the emo community. For a fanbase that was likely coming of age when their favorite albums were released, they’re now embracing a new stage in life, while those records have become the soundtracks of their nostalgia. Whether you love or hate the term “elder emo,” it was very much celebrated on Saturday night, when Hawthorne Heights revisited 20 years of their second album, “If Only You Were Lonely,” at The Rave.
With a crowd that filled up The Rave’s middle room, the band looked fondly back at their own release, headlining a bill that also included long-running punks Letlive and up-and-coming act Creeper. A reinvigorated headliner, though, would make things feel like 2006 all over again.
British band Creeper opened the night, bringing a flare for the dramatic. With painted faces and hair-metal energy, the band won Milwaukee over with a set that included standouts “Headstones” and “Cry To Heaven.” Co-vocalist Hannah Greenwood especially shined when she emerged from behind the synths to take center stage alongside Will Gould, and the band have signs of becoming a tour de force in international alternative rock for some time. Several fans were ready, with painted faces similar to the band. Any time you have that going on as an opener, you’re doing something right.
Letlive followed, and knew their assignment immediately. Assisted by a conga and floor tom for a barrage of drums to bring them onstage, it wasn’t long before vocalist Jason Aalon Butler was running around every inch of the space available, and said floor tom would ultimately be chucked into the drum riser. Their set was nothing short of chaotic, with Butler eventually making his way into a mosh pit with the corded microphone, and later finding a way to get up to the balcony with both the mic cord, and eventually his body, dangling over the edge of the railing while putting every ounce of emotion that he had into his voice. At one point, you didn’t know if Butler was going to launch himself into The Rave crowd from the railing, and that’s just the sort of unpredictability that Letlive were looking for from their set. If you weren’t aware of their game at the start of the set, you walked out a fan afterwards.
When the lights dropped for Hawthorne Heights’ main set of the evening, they were welcomed onstage by a video montage from around the era of the album’s release, and graphics of ticking clocks. That led straight into the band, complete with black shirts and matching ties, ripping into “This Is Who We Are,” which kicked off the album play. They proceeded to go through the album in order throughout the night, pausing when necessary to talk to Milwaukee about what the album meant not only to them as a band, but to their fans as well.
“If Only You Were Lonely” only carried one radio-facing single, but it was one of the band’s biggest hits, early on in the night. “Saying Sorry” is an emo classic, and fans responded accordingly, screaming along with the band. There was no shortage of crowd vocals on Saturday, though, with The Rave crowd assisting on “Pens And Needles,” “I Am On Your Side” and more. Frontman JT Woodruff felt the love from the crowd, and let them know just how important their continued support was to the band.
Woodruff would take the microphone several times throughout the night, usually while the band were queuing up an intro to the next song on the record, and talk about the nostalgia associated with the album. He mentioned the emo phenomenon that happened right after the 2005 Warped Tour, when the band were recording the record of the night, and all of the other bands that blew up in that same summer. It did feel like getting the occasional cheap pop from the crowd, but for many, it was a trip down memory lane…