Silverstein Takes Tempe, AZ on a Journey Through 25 Years of Noise

Feb 1, 2025

7 min read

Shows, Featured

On Wednesday, January 29, Silverstein took the stage at Marquee Theater in Tempe, AZ (for the 17th time!), in celebration of 25 years as a band. The tour, aptly dubbed the 25 Years of Noise Tour, kicked off earlier this month, and is set to continue into May with a break in between tour legs. The lineup is stacked with talent, with this leg of the tour offering support from Thursday, Arm’s Length, and Split Chain. Fans packed the room early, ready to relive every era of one of post-hardcore’s most beloved bands.

Split Chain kicked off the night, bringing their blend of shoegaze, grunge, and nu-metal to the stage all the way from Bristol, England. Although the band is relatively new to the music scene, having only released music since 2023, they have amassed nearly 250k monthly listeners on Spotify and are preparing to embark on their own headlining tour in the UK and Ireland in March. They will also make their headlining debut in NYC in February and have landed a spot on several festival lineups. The band brought great energy to the stage which was reciprocated by the crowd who opened a large mosh pit in the center of the room. The setlist included most of the songs the band has released to date, including “I’m Not Dying To Be Here”, a song that was just released this month.

Setlist: Chalk/ Haven/ Get Inside/ I’m Not Dying To Be Here/ Fade/ Future/ (Re)-Extract

Silverstein’s fellow Canadians, Arm’s Length, took the stage next, and it was immediately clear they had a large fan presence within the crowd, with fans screaming back every lyric to opening song “In Loving Memory”. The band was clearly having fun on stage, and each member of the band brought such charismatic charm that the audience, even those who were new to their music, couldn’t help but be drawn in by their performance. The setlist consisted of songs from their 2022 debut album Never Before Seen, Never Found Again, as well as their upcoming single “Funny Face”. Their performance perfectly set the tone for what would be an unforgettable evening of performances. In addition to the 25 Years of Noise tour, you can catch Arm’s Length with all of your favorite emo bands at this year’s installment of When We Were Young Fest in Las Vegas.

Setlist: In Loving Memory/ Funny Face/ Object Permanence/ Formative Age/ Tough Love/ Overture/ Garamond

Post hard-core legends Thursday continued the night with an explosive energy that you may not expect from a band that has been at it for 27 years. Crowd surfers wasted no time and could be seen pouring over the barricade from the moment the first notes of “The Other Side of the Crash/Over and Out (of Control)” rang out. Fans could be heard screaming lyrics at the top of their lungs and could be seen aggressively finger pointing and head banging as frontman Geoff Rickly galavanted around the stage, swinging his mic, and pouring every ounce of energy into his performance. That energy was matched by his bandmates who could be seen jumping, head banging, and working the risers throughout the show. After nearly 15 years since the band’s last full length album was released, Thursday has returned to the studio, releasing three new songs since 2024, all of which the band proudly released independently. Fans were treated to their newest track, released at midnight on January 1, “Taking Inventory of a Frozen Lake”, along with all of the classics from over the years. Thursday ended their set with “War All the Time”, leaving the audience invigorated and buzzing with excitement for the evening’s main event.

Setlist: The Other Side of the Crash/Over and Out (of Control)/ Cross Out the Eyes/ Signals Over the Air/ Jet Black New Year/ This Song Brought to You by a Falling Bomb/ Fast to the End/ Taking Inventory of a Frozen Lake/ The Lovesong Writer/ Understanding in a Car Crash/ War All the Time

The lights dimmed and a video montage showcasing the band’s history began to play, stirring nostalgia for fans with scenes depicting burning CDs of Silverstein's songs, downloaded illegally from Limewire, and scrolling their MySpace page, among other scenes reminiscent of our high school days. Silverstein emerged, immediately launching into “Skin & Bones”, followed by “Confession”, both tracks from their forthcoming album Antibloom. The band worked backwards in time through their discography, treating fans to at least one track off of every one of their eleven (soon to be twelve) full length albums, including favorites like “The Afterglow”, “Call it Karma”, and “Massachusetts”. The band’s energy was unparalleled and did not waver throughout their set; in fact, if anything, it only intensified as they continued through their catalog. The crowd matched their energy, crowdsurfing, moshing, dancing, and screaming their hearts out from start to finish. The show’s production, which included curated visuals playing on screens behind the band throughout each song, CO2 blasts, and confetti cannons, elevated an already impressive performance even further. Silverstein ended their set with “Smile in Your Sleep” before returning for an acoustic encore of “My Heroine” and ending the night with “Bleeds No More”.

While many of the bands on the scene when Silverstein emerged are recently making a comeback, Silverstein has remained a constant force within the post-hardcore scene since their start, having consistently put out music and toured since they first broke out on the scene in the year 2000. The Canadian band has rightfully earned status as one of the most prolific bands of the 21st century as they continue to pack rooms across the world after all these years, a true testament to their talent and hard work. The band is set to release two full length albums this year, a double album, with Antibloom set to release on February 21, and Pink Moon to drop later this year.

Do not miss Silverstein as they continue across the US with their 25 Years of Noise tour. The first leg of their tour with Thursday, Arm’s Length, and Split Chain is set to end in Montreal on February 15th. The band recently announced a second leg of the tour, with support from Real Friends, Broadside, and greyhaven, set to kickoff on April 18th in Albany and continue through May 16th in Daytona Beach. Tickets can be purchased here.

Setlist: Skin & Bones/ Confession/ The Alter/Mary/ Infinite/ Bad Habits/ The Afterglow/ Aquamarine/ Toronto/ A Midwestern State of Emergency/ Massachusetts/ One Last Dance/ Sacrifice/ Vices/ Their Lips Sink Ships/ The End/ My Disaster/ Your Sword Versus My Dagger/ Call It Karma/ Smile in Your Sleep/ ENCORE: My Heroine/ Smashed Into Pieces/ Bleeds No More