Hawthorne Heights Lonely World Tour

3/21/2026 - House of Blues - Anaheim, California.

A sold-out crowd packed the House of Blues Anaheim on March 21, 2026 as Hawthorne Heights rolled through with the Lonely World Tour, celebrating 20 years of If You Were Lonely. The energy in the room was already high heading into letlive.(gallery), and for my first time seeing them, they delivered something raw and unpredictable. Jason Aalon Butler turned the stage into chaos!

Even climbing onto a stagehand’s back just to reach the second-floor balcony. A dented aluminum trash can became part of the set, used as a drum, something to kick, or a platform to stand on. It all added to a performance that felt raw, intense, and fully alive.

Then came Hawthorne Heights, the definition of 2000s emo and a band that almost everyone in the room grew up with. Led by JT Woodruff alongside Mark McMillon and Matt Ridenour, they’ve been putting in real work to keep the scene alive, and it shows. I’ve caught them multiple times over the past few years, from California Is For Lovers Fest to Emo Orchestra, and this felt just as meaningful. The band ran through the album playthrough and even pulled out the Rhapsody-exclusive track “Niki FM.” The crowd sang every word like it never left them. Their newer track “Like a Cardinal” landed well, but the night closed the only way it should, with “Ohio Is for Lovers” and a room full of voices carrying it to the end. “cut my wrists and black my eyes~!!”