Kansas City Was For Lovers at the 20 Years of Tears Tour

By Kellie Green

Lovers of all things emo, screamo, and everything in between-o (ok maybe that was a stretch, but you get the point) gathered to celebrate 20 Years of Tears with Hawthorne Heights and friends. And with 6 bands on the bill it was a long night of throwin down for us elder emos, even for a Friday night. But with a gentle reminder to take an anti-inflammatory before bed from Hawthorne Heights’ singer JT Woodruff, we all made it out eyeliner in tact.

I think we owe a big part of that to the first band in the lineup. This Wild Life kicked off the night starting at a ripe 5:30pm, which is a challenge considering many elder emos were fresh off the job at the end of the work week. But being the self-proclaimed “Discount Dashboard Confessional” they eased us into the night with melodic tunes and an array of laughs. Also referring to themselves as the “Hot Topic Mumford and Sons” and, my personal favorite, “the Kirkland City and Colour”, these guys were like the pre-workout to get ready for the chaos to follow. Kevin Jordan of TWL joked that they took this tour knowing no one would know who they were, but judging from the crowd singing along I know I wasn’t the only pre-existing fan there. Check them out on your fave listening platform if you haven’t already and you’ll quickly become a fan, too.

Next up was Emery, and they hit the stage ready to thrown down like we all threw down Surge before hitting the skate park. With a simple, understated, seemingly DIY sign as their stage backdrop that read “Masters of Rock”, it was like the post skate-park basement house party that we all needed. Before appropriately closing out the set with “Party Song” and their top tier rager “Walls”, singer Toby Morrell mentioned that it’s been said they’re “old and retired”. But Morrell made it ultra clear both with words and actions, that they are far from either. Make no mistake, Emery is here to stay and I know I could not be more here for it.

Armor For Sleep was lucky number 3 on the bill to make sure that no one actually did fall asleep, even though stage changeover on this tour was down to a science and there was very minimal down time. Regardless, Armor was clearly ready and hit the stage with the chaotic energy necessary to wipe those 20 Years of Tears we were all simultaneously mourning and celebrating. Busting out their killer new single “In Another Dream” they made sure the crowd stayed hyped and knew that it’s not just a dream, they are hitting the scene this year TOUGH and not retreating anytime soon.

Anberlin was fourth to bring on the tears and fears with a low-lit set but maximum level vitality. With frontman Stephen Christian taking some time off (no, he reports he did not quit) and Daniel Nelson from The Word Alive filling in on drums for Nate Young who’s home on baby leave, things were a little different on the Anberlin stage. But with a little help from some of their An-bro-lins, the vibe was still right. Matty Mullins obviously knows how to run the stage, which we’ll see again soon when Memphis May Fire hits the road with Asking Alexandria. And speaking of Asking, Anberlin won’t be going back into hiding any time soon with their newest album Vega hot off the press. Highly recommend this August 2024 release of Anberlin’s return.

By the time Thursday hit the stage it was a sweaty, humid, swamp of a venue, which just added to the ambience. Because they may be called Thursday, but they brought Friday energy like a MF. Singer Geoff Rickly opened up and said the last time they played Kansas City was in 2017 when he was freshly off a heroin addiction. As fans of a music genre that rips your heart out and stomps on it with a checkered Van, I know that so many of us have been touched by addiction in some way. Rickly actually wrote a novel, released in 2023, called “Someone Who Isn’t Me”, which has his addiction as the main theme. 6 Years post addiction and he was back in KC feeling the love with the boys of Thursday by his side, sharing his story. But his addiction doesn’t define him. It didn’t defeat him. And he was back to share the stage as direct support for the main event, Hawthorne Heights.

We all knew we were there to commemorate 20 years of tears, and make some new ones. But damn did J.T. Woodruff make sure that happened. Between each Hawthorne hit, Woodruff got up close and personal with the crowd, physically and figuratively. For the last few songs of the set he sat down right up front and center with the crowd, and made it feel like not just a concert, but like home.

He still made plenty of emo jokes, like being proud of watching us all grow from baby emos to full grown adult emos, many who are creating little emos. But he also got deep. Woodruff told us that in 2003 they were ready to give up. They felt like no one believed in them. They felt like being from the Midwest their music was never going to break free from the corn fields and into the ears of those needing to hear it across the globe. But they pushed themselves to send their music to record labels, needing just one person to believe in them. Give them that spark. And well, we all know what happened from there.

Woodruff encouraged us all to do the same. Call a friend and be their spark. Look in the mirror and be our own spark. And I think I can speak for the masses when I say that’s what most of us who really FEEL music, not just listen to it, are seeking. That spark.

Woodruff went on to say that since 2004, we have never been alone. We’ve had Hawthorne Heights and countless other bands alike to be our spark. To push us to just make it through the day sometimes. He pointed out there there’s a new generation of emo upon us. Our generation is raising kids to realize it’s ok to feel, and to live every single moment feeling a little strange because normal is weird. Our generation may have kept Limewire and Conair alive, and lost and gained friends over MySpace Top 8, but this generation is helping us keep music alive. Just….you know…by legally listening to music.

Before Woodruff kicked it more old school than THE bangs, you know which bangs, by heading out to the merch table to share tears and selfies, they closed out the night with the moment we had all been waiting for. That chance to belt out 20 years of feelings to “Ohio Is For Lovers” with the ones who brought it to us all those years ago, while they belted it out with the masses of us that have helped keep it alive. And in that moment, that unforgettable moment, a packed, sweaty, venue in Kansas City became a time capsule of the heart. We may not be able to make it on our own, but these are the moments that remind us we don’t have to.