Post-Hardcore. Ska. Screamo. Pop-Punk. Emo. Alternative Rock. For many, those words defined the lifestyle we lived in the early 2000’s. As much as we may miss the days where we just got by on the pure emotions found in our favorite lyrics, these bands are still up to some pretty great things and their upcoming Detroit shows will prove just that. Check out the list we’ve compiled below and rock out down memory lane.
Chiodos with We Came As Romans: Wednesday, December 10 – Crofoot Ballroom, Pontiac
Coming together during their high school years in hometown Davison, MI, Chiodos just might be one of Detroit’s greatest breakthrough bands of the early 2000’s post-hardcore scene. With an eclectic metal sound accompanied by melodic lyrics, the group recorded their first demo, The Best Way to Ruin Your Life in June 2002 and established a dedicated and lively following. With multiple appearances at the Vans Warped Tour, the group has held their own through various lineup changes, and has produced their latest album, Devil, which was released this past spring of 2014. Opening for the band will be We Came As Romans, another crew hailing from Michigan that was welcomed with open arms into the same post-hardcore scene around 2008. Click here for tickets.
Relient K with Blondfire and From Indian Lakes: Wednesday, December 10 – Saint Andrews Hall, Detroit
Formed in 1998, this Christian rock band caught the attention of many punk rock listeners from around the nation. Performing with many secular artists and with a multitude of albums topping the Christian rock charts, the band distinguished themselves with both their spiritual lyric messages and acoustic elements to the punk sound. Touring for the 10th anniversary of MMHMM, their fourth album released in 2004, this group will be sure to remind you all about the stresses of finding a date to the Sadie Hawkins dance in your khaki pants. Click here for tickets.
Home Alone with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra: Wednesday, December 17 – Detroit Orchestra Hall
Though the DSO might not be the first group to come to mind when you think back to your earlier years, their live performance of John Williams’ captivating score that is the music to the classic Christmas Tale of Home Alone will take you back to those winter nights spent in front of the television with a bag of popcorn. Produced in 1990, Home Alone is one of the most widely known and loved holiday movies, and the DSO will be bringing it to life at the Orchestra Hall on December 17. Click here for tickets.
Black Christmas @ The Majestic (The Suicide Machines & Mustard Plug): Wednesday, December 26 – The Majestic
Though many alterna-ska bands are believed to stem from California, The Suicide Machines are in fact Detroit natives. Jumpstarting their music career in the early 90’s, The Suicide Machines will be joining forces for this holiday bash with Grand Rapids-based Mustard Plug, who recently came out with their newest album “Can’t Contain It” at the beginning of this year. Also featured at the event will be The Creepshow, Wilson, Fireworks, Negative Approach, Mrs. Skannatto, The Meatmen, and Koffin Kats Usa, many of which are also Michigan-based bands. No better way to ring in the holiday than to rock out with Detroit. Click here for tickets.
Silverstein with Hands Like Houses: Friday, January 16, 2015 – Crofoot Ballroom, Pontiac
Hailing from Ontario, Silverstein started as a side project that soon became an exceptional full-time gig with their first self-released album in 2000, Summer’s Stellar Gaze. Continuing to make a prominent statement in the hardcore emo scene, the band found recognition in their emotionally charged lyrics, selling over 1 million albums worldwide. With an unfortunate goodbye to lead singer Niel Boshart after eleven years with the same lineup, the crew has continued to keep their music alive with latest album This Is How the Wind Shifts, released in early 2013. Click here for tickets.
Reel Big Fish with Less Than Jake: Thursday, January 22 – Royal Oak Music Theatre
Back when MTV played music, Reel Big Fish broke into the modern rock scene with their eclectic ska sounds, crazed stage energy, juvenile humor, and their sardonic covers of new-age pop songs of the early 90’s. With their self-released underground debut album Everything Sucks in 1995, the band raised enough hype to keep them producing loud and catchy tunes till the late 2000’s, yet experienced so much band member turnover that their sound never quite remained the same. Joining them at the Royal Oak Music Theatre will be Less Than Jake, allowing listeners to re-visit their love for punk with that ever-blessed trombone melody. Click here for tickets.
Motion City Soundtrack: Friday, January 23 – Saint Andrews Hall, Detroit
Smitten by the punk scene and influenced by bands like Sunny Day Real Estate, Motion City Soundtrack members Joshua Cain and Justin Pierre formed the band in 1999 right after high-school graduation in Minneapolis, MN. After picking up their later band members, the band had the opportunity to tour with Blink 182 through Europe and Japan when Blink’s Mark Hoppus agreed to produce their next album: Commit This To Memory. With the success of their previous album, I Am The Movie, the band rocked their way out to Warped Tour and since remains in everyone’s hearts and minds with their catchy pop-punk tunes. Catch them at the Royal Oak Music Theatre this January, and you’ll remember just how much the future freaked you out back in 2003. Click here for tickets.
Marilyn Manson: Tuesday, Februrary 3 – The Fillmore Detroit
Developing an impressive cult following throughout the mid-90’s, Manson was often the subject of attack for conservative and religious groups, not to mention our parents who never quite understood our crazed obsession with his dark antics. The band has maintained a strong relevance through the mid 2000’s, with The Golden Age of Grotesque (2003) and The High End of Low (2009) reaching the top charts, giving us a solid excuse to see just how far Marilyn Manson and his crew have come since the beginning. This self-proclaimed “antichrist superstar” will be returning to Detroit for the band’s upcoming album, The Pale Emperor, set to release in early 2015. Click here for tickets.
Taking Back Sunday: Wednesday, March 11 – The Fillmore Detroit
Formed in 1999 in Amityville, New York, Taking Back Sunday swept the nation early on with melodic hardcore tunes that left teens everywhere rocking out hard to the deep lyrics of their debut album, Tell All Your Friends. After losing some band members and dipping into the darker, more aggressive music scene, the band announced in 2012 that the original crew would be reuniting for a tour to perform Tell All Your Friends in its entirety, bringing back the memories of many who lived and loved the post-hardcore scene of the early 2000’s. Since then, the original band has recorded their sixth album, Happiness Is, which is the reason for the band’s return to Detroit this March and even more of a reason to give their new tunes a listen. Click here for tickets.
Bayside with Senses Fail: Friday, March 27 – Crofoot Ballroom, Pontiac
With Bayside’s first album release in 2001, the band took off along with many other alternative punk bands of their time, making their name early on at big time festivals like the Skate and Surf Fest and Vans Warped Tour. Since then, the band has endured multiple member lineup and producer changes, including the tragic death of drummer John “Beatz” Holohn, but has yet continued to produce music for their faithful fans with the release of their 2014 album, Cults. Joining them at the Crofoot will be Senses Fail, another success story of Drive-Thru Records that walked albums Depths of Dreams in 2003 and Let it Enfold you in 2004 to a successful breakthrough in the post-hardcore scene. Click here for tickets.