Emo music has been making a comeback lately, with many of our favorite bands from the early aughts having reunited, but one band has remained a steady force within the scene. Since Hawthorne Heights debuted on the scene 25 years ago, they have consistently released music and toured, keeping the emo spirit alive all these years. It has been two decades since the release of their acclaimed sophomore album, “If Only You Were Lonely,” and to celebrate 20 years, the band is taking the album across the US, playing the album that left a mark on so many in full. On March 24, 2026, the band brought their “Lonely World Tour” through Tempe, AZ, stopping at Marquee Theatre and bringing along an ecclectic lineup featuring bands letlive. and Creeper.
The evening kicked off with a theatrical and genre-bending performance from English rock band Creeper. The leather-clad band, who is known for constant reinvention of their aesthetic and sound, performed tracks like “Mistress of Death” and “The Ballad of Spook & Mercy” from their two most recent albums, “Sanguivore” (2024) and “Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death” (2025). Their sound evolves with each of their eras, with the current era described as a blend of gothic rock and heavy metal, and with past projects incorporating horror punk, emo, glam rock, post-hardcore, and psychobilly elements. While they may have been a new band for many, they had quite a few diehard fans within the crowd, faces painted to match Creeper’s vampire-inspired makeup and screaming the lyrics along with the band. Although the genre was quite different than what you might expect for a Hawthorne Heights show, the crowd was drawn in by the theatricality of it all, heads bobbing, throwing fists in the air, and even opening up a circle pit. Frontman Will Gould put on a performance that gave a Freddie Mercury meets Dracula type vibe and won over many in the crowd. If you make it out to one of these stops, make sure to arrive early enough to catch their set!
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Within seconds of letlive. taking the stage, pit photographers and fans along the barricade found themselves drenched as frontman Jason Aalon Butler burst onto the stage and doused himself with water, transforming the stage into somewhat of a “slip and slide.” And it would become just that, as Butler ran side to side, diving and sliding headfirst towards stage equipment as he passionately delivered lyrics of tracks like “Le Prologue,” “The Sick, Sick, 6.8 Billion” and “Renegade 86'.” The band puts on one of the wildest live shows I have ever witnessed, with crazy energy from the entire band. Butler is unhinged in the best kind of way. You never know what you’re going to get with him, with onstage antics ranging from things like duct taping microphones to his head, chucking the mic across the stage, hurling metal trash cans into the crowd, to climbing scaffolding and jumping into the crowd from the second-story balcony. On this evening, Butler found himself in a circle pit before tossing his mic to a fan on the balcony above, making his way upstairs, and performing the remainder of “27 Club” standing atop the ledge of the railing while grasping a ceiling tile. Security had a death grip on his legs to ensure he didn’t go over the edge, and while Butler repeatedly assured them he wasn’t going to jump, there was no doubt they were aware that he is no stranger to making that leap. Between tracks, Butler took moments to be vulnerable with the crowd about his upbringing, express his appreciation for women, and share his thoughts about the current political climate, ensuring that everyone in the room knew that this was a safe space for all. letlive. disbanded in 2017 and reunited in 2025 for what they described as a tour to give a proper goodbye. It’s not certain how long they’ll continue to perform, so catch them while you can! You will not be disappointed.
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As the lights dimmed, the stage was illuminated by four LED panels displaying a rotary phone while the opening narration of “The Obsolete Man,” an episode of “The Twilight Zone,” was played. As the narrator declared, “logic is an enemy and truth is a menace,” the opening notes of “This Is Who We Are” rang out and Hawthorne Heights took the stage, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Almost immediately, crowd surfers began pouring over the barricade, including some young children who were high fived and praised by the elder emos lining the barricade as they made their way back to their parents. It’s fun to see a new generation of “emo kids” born with the revival of the bands of our youth, a sentiment shared by frontman JT Woodruff, who was excited that the children in the room would be able to experience the nostalgia of the best days of our lives through this album with their parents.
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of “If Only You Were Lonely,” Hawthorne Heights performed the iconic album front to back, occasionally pausing to connect with fans and share stories from the last 20+ years. They reminisced about shows played at The Modified Arts (a venue that played an important role in Arizona’s scene back in the day), Myspace Top 8s, and how positive the internet was back then. They touched on how many of us feel broken inside at times and how important it is to get into these rooms and put each other back together, encouraging the crowd to bring their children to shows and teach them the healing power of live music. Pieces of everyone were healed that night with tracks like “We Are So Last Year,” “Pens And Needles,” and “I Am On Your Side.” The mosh pit held strong all night, and a continuous stream of crowd surfers kept security on their toes. After they wrapped the record, the band closed their set with “Spray Paint It Black,” a track from their 2021 album “The Rain Just Follows Me.”
An interview from 20 years ago played as the band left the stage briefly, returning in more casual wear for their encore, which included “Bring You Back” and a mashup of “Dandelions” and “Niki Fm.” Woodruff paused to share that this was the longest set the band had ever played on tour and that they crammed as many classic emo bangers in as they could but wanted to share their new song, “Like A Cardinal,” released only a few days prior. They expressed their hope that the track, a song about holding people you love close to your heart, would be the crowd’s next “Ohio Is For Lovers.” The new track was well received by the crowd, many of whom already knew the words and sang along. As the set came to a close, Woodruff jumped from the stage to join fans on the barricade for the final track. He exclaimed that since he had to sing in Albuquerque the next day and that the fans didn’t have to sing for their jobs, they needed to do the legwork for the song and pour every last ounce of their energy into screaming the words. The fans made good on that request, with no doubt that the screams of the iconic “Ohio Is For Lovers” “cut my wrists and black my eyes” lyrics could be heard by bystanders outside of the Marquee and beyond. As they wrapped the song, Woodruff declared, “Arizona is for lovers!”
The "Lonely World Tour" is one you won't want to miss. The first leg of the tour continues through April 1 where they will wrap in Little Rock, AR. The band recently announced a second leg of the tour which kicks off October 21 in Buffalo, NY and continues through November 25 in St. Louis, MO. Hawthorne Heights is also set to take this show overseas, celebrating "If Only You Were Lonely" with fans all over the world. Tickets can be purchased here.
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