Hawthorne Heights is an emo staple and I have seen them live so many times that I’ve simply lost track at this point. It’s got to be at least a dozen, and I know for a fact that I will be seeing them two more times this year. It does help that they are an Ohio band, but really these guys just get around a lot, what can I say.
I got to back to Lakewood’s newest venue, The Roxy at Mahall’s for this unique Hawthorne Heights experience. It was already unique when I got there because there was a section of seats that I found out belonged to VIP ticket holders. I guess I didn’t realize this was a super special tour. In thinking back, I guess I did remember seeing The Silence in Black and White on the tour poster, but I just didn’t connect the dots. Apparently, those that got VIP tickets got to kick it with the band before the show, but having met the guys a time or two before, I didn’t feel that I was desperately missing out on anything.
This was a special tour celebrating the twenty years anniversary of The Silence in Black and White, and we were told that Ohio’s set list was going to be special compared to the other twenty-plus dates on the tour. I was pleasantly surprised by that announcement. It was odd to see all of the guys sitting for the whole evening, but the songs were presented in a more mellow, not fully acoustic fashion. They went through the whole album, almost in order, and threw in a new song reflecting on that time in their lives somewhere in the middle of the set. Of course they saved their biggest hit for last, “Ohio is for Lovers,” and even in a much slower capacity it was still amazing.
All in all, not that many songs were actually played over the course of two and a half hours. Instead, we were treated to a bunch of inside stories from that band at that time in their lives. I learned that Niki FM was actually about his wife, though he said she is actually nothing like the song makes her out to be. It’s crazy to think he’s been with her all that time – and even before that song came out! They also shared that their most popular song is actually one that they thought was a throw-away, and even to this day he’s still not sure that he loves it as much as the fans do, but he assured us that the fans are what transforms these songs the most.
It was really interesting to hear how these Ohio guys went from nothing to something in such a short amount of time. I might surprise you when I say that JT is actually from West Virginia and chose to move to Dayton after dropping out of college and deciding to pursue music full time. Hawthorne Heights got its name thanks to Casey stealing it from Matt before he was even a part of the band, and they completed about sixty percent of their debut album in a month. Wild. In just two short years they went gold and were asked to headline Warped Tour and they’ve been a staple in the scene ever since.
I really enjoy concerts like this, where the experience is unique and you learn things you never ever knew about a band you’ve been listening to for such a long time. I know I didn’t know of this album when it initially came out, but I believe I was only a year or two behind the wave. I’m proud of what these guys have accomplished, that they are still going, and that they wave that emo flag proudly. I look forward to seeing the usual show later this year a couple of times, but this was a once in a lifetime experience.
