Emo night is coming to Montage Music Hall in two weeks, and it is bringing three tribute bands, a full catalog of 2000s anthems, and the promise of a late-night after-party with members from all three acts performing the decade’s most singable songs together. The Still Not Okay Tour lands in Rochester on April 24th — this is your two-week window, so don’t sit on it.
The lineup covers three of the defining acts of early 2000s emo and pop-punk with obvious affection and commitment. Turtle Smash performs as My Chemical Romance, taking on The Black Parade front-to-back — every swell, every scream, every sing-along moment from one of the genre’s most ambitious and beloved records. Fake Happy captures Paramore’s early era: fast riffs, pop-punk bite, Hayley Williams energy, the songs that defined a specific kind of teenage intensity. The Dirty Little Rejects close out the night with the All American Rejects catalog, delivering the hooks that turned that band into unexpected radio stars.
The Still Not Okay Tour has been running across the country for several months and building a reputation as a genuine celebration rather than a nostalgia cash-in. These are musicians who grew up with this music and play it with the enthusiasm that implies. The post-show emo secret set — members from all three bands performing additional 2000s favorites — has been a highlight at every stop.
For the generation that spent high school alternating between MCR and Paramore, this is not a show you can explain to someone who wasn’t there. You just go. April 24th at Montage Music Hall. Tickets are available through Etix.