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Must See
Hawthorne Heights with Creeper and letlive.
Roseland Theater // Portland, Oregon // March 18, 2026
Review by Bruna Cucolo
Picture hundreds of elder emos in a music venue. Most, if not all, are wearing mainly black as if the past 20 years have not gone by. For one night, they get to experience something together. They’re at Hawthorne Heights’ Lonely World Tour to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the album If Only You Were Lonely. They made their stop in Portland, OR on March 18, about halfway through the tour.
Opening bands were Creeper and letlive., and both understood the assignment of the night and set the energy for the headliner. Creeper came out with the crowd already cheering, and for the next six songs, the anticipation only grew from there. The band letlive. was also a crowd pleaser with nine songs performed. They kept the audience energized with their set and ready for what was next.
On stage, there were screens used for beautiful visuals that went along with the songs. And before the headliner came on, there were cardinals sitting across the stage with a QR code beneath each one that led to the band’s newest single “Like A Cardinal,” which was released on Friday, March 20. Hawthorne Heights took the stage, and the crowd nearly lost it as they were about to watch one of their favorite bands play an album from years ago, some were maybe in high school at the time.
The band played the entirety of If Only You Were Lonely from front to back. It took fans back to when they first listened to the record 20 years ago. A lot of emotions filled the room, from hearing these songs and remembering how times were maybe a lot simpler, yet also feeling, well, emo about how we’ve grown up, and things are different now, things aren’t the same. But as frontman JT Woodruff said during the show, “We’re all 16 again” that night.
Five songs into their set, the band asked the crowd if they were ready to sing and scream louder and to mosh and crowd surf more. The response was positive and the people did all that, the rest of the night was full of singing, screaming, mosh pits, and crowd surfing. And with that, it was a very nostalgic night with the dedicated fans appreciating a song that was released 20 years ago. They ended their entire set with five encore songs, that last one being, of course, “Ohio Is For Lovers.”
There are still some dates left of the tour, and you can purchase your ticket here.
Don’t miss out on a night to reminisce and scream your emo hearts out. The crowd included fans of all ages from kids to adults — got to start them young! So go with your family and friends and flash back to a simpler time with your favorite band.
