San Diego’s emo community came together at the ever-iconic venue Soma for a long awaited celebration of a band that stood strong through all their years of haitus: Chiodos. After an epic reunion at 2024’s When We Were Young festival, Chiodos brainchild Craig Owens was thrilled to announce the tour alongside fellow emo icons Hawthorne Heights, Emmure and The Callous Daoboys. It wasn’t just any reunion though, this tour was celebrating 20 years of Chiodos’ All’s Well That Ends Well. The call was made and San Diego (in addition to many other cities) sold out pretty quickly. We had all been waiting for this, and we were ready.
First up, The Callous Daoboys took the stage and immediately caught my attention with a violinist on stage. I knew that this was going to be something different and was instantly blown away. Amber “The Mind” Christman was gracefully executing alongside Carson “Big Animal” Pace (vocals,) Maddie “El Perro” Caffrey (guitar,) Jackie “Clancy” Buckalew (bass guitar, vocals,) Daniel “Dip” Hodsdon(bass guitar, vocals,) Mathew “Marty” Hague (drums,) and Rich Castillo (no nickname needed) on the saxophone. The self proclaimed nu metal group absolutely threw down an exciting, grimy, catchy set, all twisted with their southern Atlanta Georgia spin. The audience was storming in through the set, and by the end we had a full circle pit and moshing in full force. San Diego had shown up and out, and we were just getting started.
Next up, Emmure took the stage and wasted no time getting down to business by asking the audience to open up the pit. Vocalist Frankie Palmeri boasted his signature style and “middle finger” attitude that sets him apart from the other artists of the scene, but proves he fits right in within the first few seconds of his powerhouse intro. Known as the most “polarizing band since Limp Bizkit,” Emmure took the audience to a nostalgic place of metalicore infected with hip-hop and the full house packed in for it. Palmeri flawlessly smashed through their hits “You asked for it” and “Smokey” before concluding their set with “Natural Born Killer.”
Hawthorne Heights took the stage next, and the audience was in full force emo mode. Kicking it off with “The Storm”, the audience started to get some crowd surfers going for the first time of the night. Hawthorne Heights frontman JT Woodruff (vocals, guitar) beamed with pride and a smidge of humbleness as he looked into the sea of multiple generations of fans. “You guys got through those times, we did it. And you helped us get through it too because you played our songs over and over” he said as he addressed the crowd in sincerity. Once he quiet literally poured his heart and gratitude onto the stage, the energy immediately took an unexpected surge as they creeped into their breakout hit “Niki FM.” Everybody in the room was moving, just the way we like it. But it didn’t stop there, the set came to an ultimate peak when they noted the opening chords of the emo song, “Ohio is for Lovers.” Fans sighed in satisfaction as the final notes rang out and the band bid their farewell.. but this wasn’t even the conclusion to the night. It was time for Chiodos.
As it became close to their set time, the audience eagerly packed in close and ready to rumble. A brief sound check played signature Chiodos piano riffs that has us dying with anticipation. As the lights dimmed and Craig Owens made his theatrical entrance for All’s Well That Ends Well “Prelude”, the audience had just completely lost it. Taking the stage, arms up to feel the energy, he could feel it: the fans who packed the house waited years, some even a decade, for this moment. And Since this was celebrating Alls Well that Ends well we knew we were about to get some deep cut treats. The band exploded into “All Nereids Beware” and the mosh pit immediately followed the explosion. Craig, known for his melodic tenor voice and gritty growls, was in his element and did not miss a step. His voice sounded just as beautiful as the day they started as he effortlessly nailed each note and held out each scream. I really felt like it was the album but live which really shows you the true talent in the music.
As the band cruised through, the audience was immediately fueled with new adrenaline each time an opening riff began. “There’s No Penguins in Alaska” and “The Words ‘Best Friend’ Become Redefined” woke up the city of San Diego with a sold out Soma screaming at the top of our emo hearts. In addition to the Alls well That Ends Well tracklist, we were treated to fantastic tracks off Bone Palace Ballet: Grand Coda like “Two Birds Stoned at Once” and “Bulls Make Money, Bears Make Money, Pigs Get Slaughtered” that had the audience reeling for more. After 15 insane tracks, Craig announced the closing. “This is it, there is no encore, this is what you came for” as the opening riff that every emo kids knows “Baby You Wouldn’t Last A Minute On The Creek.” The adrenaline surged once more as one gigantic pit opened up for one last hoorah.
San Diego was left satisfied with what they came for and then some. We got all the feels, the moshing, crowd surfing, all wrapped up into one love letter that is the All’s Well That Ends Well Tour. The show will continue through the States this month with an epic conclusion in Pittsburgh on April 29. In case you missed it, you’ll also have the opportunity to catch Chiodos perform this epic album at festivals this year like “Aftershock” and “INKCarceration.” Don’t miss the epic return of Chiodos!
GALLERY: Chiodos at SOMA in San Diego (April 2, 2025)
