This Sunday night, hundreds of pop-punk fans filled the halls of the Dallas House of Blues to see California pop-punk legends The Story So Far on one of the final nights of their Winter tour. With support from bands such as Superheaven and Koyo, fans were in for a very wild and entertaining night.
New York pop-punk band Koyo started off the night with a bang, opening with their song “I Might Not.” The crowd immediately went wild for the band. After only two songs, fans were already launching themselves into the air and being carried over the barricade by the venue security guards. The members of Koyo matched the audience's excited energy for their entire set, with not a single band member staying still for more than a couple of seconds. This was my first time seeing the group, but I can say with confidence that they were one of the best live bands I have seen this year. With the vivacity of their performance and the quality of their music, I will definitely be catching another one of their shows when they roll back through DFW in the future.
Koyo
Next up was Superheaven, kicking off their set with their newly released single “Long Gone.” The band's style was a lot different from Koyo’s, taking on a more grungy, shoegaze-inspired sound than the previous band. I really loved the contrast between these two openers, and as someone who loves grunge music, Superheaven was right up my alley. Despite their songs having a slower tempo than the other two bands on the bill that night, the music still packed a massive punch with heavy guitar riffs and the soaring, raspy vocals from frontman Taylor Madison. When the band started their final song of the night, loyal fans singed along at the top of their lungs to “Poor Aileen,” ending the set on a high note.
Superheaven
Finally, the moment everyone had been waiting for. As the lights went down and The Story So Far stepped out on stage, the entire room erupted into cheers and screams of joy at an absolutely insane volume. My right ear is still ringing from the raucous screams that one of the fans behind me let out while I was standing in the photo pit in front of the barricade. I honestly hope her vocal chords were okay after that, because I know that my eardrum definitely was not. Soon after, the riff for “Big Blind” began to play, and the excited audience screams resumed. The song was quickly followed up with two fan favorites, “The Glass” and “Out of It,” sending the entire room into chaos as the first pits of the set opened along with a steady stream of crowd surfers.
The rest of the band’s set consisted of many of the OG songs from the band’s first two albums, which sent the fans into a euphoric sense of nostalgia. But there was also a fair amount of tracks from the band's most recently released album as well. The standout from the newer tracks definitely being the bittersweet and melancholy “Letterman.” Once the opening notes of this song started playing, you could feel an emotional shift in the audience from a rowdy excitement into a more subdued, introspective vibe. The lyrics and energy of that song really resonate with a lot of people, and it was really cool to see everyone have a moment with it.
The Story So Far
As the night started to wind down, the intensity of the setlist did everything but. Saving three of their most explosive songs for the end, the crowd got to have one final hurrah as the familiar notes to my own personal favorite, “Roam,” began to play. After stashing my camera gear with the nice security guards up front, I joined the sea of fans for this one, as I have NEVER once turned down a mosh pit experience when that song plays. The classic song was then followed up with other bangers such as "Nerve,” and then the night came to an exhilarating end with the band playing an encore with the beloved track “Quicksand.”
One of my favorite parts of seeing a The Story So Far show is seeing just how happy the fans get. I don’t know what it is about this band, but the connection that people have to their music is truly a beautiful thing to witness. Whether it be the old songs from the mid-2010s that we are up with or one of the tracks of the most recent album that they released just earlier this year, every moment is just as enjoyable and exhilarating as the next. Sadly, the band’s 2024 winter tour is at it’s end, but I would highly recommend seeing The Story So Far the next time they go out on tour. It will without a doubt be one of the most funny and memorable nights of your life.
The Story So Far
