The Story So Far Finish Fall Tour with Powerful Pomona Show

On November 8th, pop-punk band The Story So Far concluded their tour of North American dates with a sold out show at the Fox Theater Pomona. The band formed in 2007 and have since come to be considered a staple in the scene. They incorporate indie rock, hardcore punk, and other elements in their music to get the edgier pop-punk sound they’re known for. The lineup consists of Parker Cannon (vocals), Kevin Geyer (lead guitar, keys), Ryan Torf (drums, rhythm guitar, and keys) and Will Levy (guitars). For these shows, they brought along The Starting Line and Ultra Q.

Ultra Q opened the show with an already fast-growing crowd. The band is made up of Jakob Danger Armstrong, Kevin Judd, and brothers Chris and Enzo Malaspina. For fans of The Strokes and The Cure, the East Bay band has been around for a decade. Led by Armstrong (son of Green Day’s Billie Joe, with a voice just like him), Ultra Q has built their own audience the hard way without abusing any connections. On stage, despite the fact that it’s nearly impossible to decipher any of Armstrong’s lyrics, they deliver an engaging set, holding their own on such a stacked lineup.

Next up was Philadelphia’s The Starting Line. A crucial piece to the pop-punk scene, they formed in 1999, consisting of Kenny Vasoli, Mike Golla, Tom Gryskiewicz, Matt Watts, and Brian Schmutz. There are numerous younger bands that wouldn’t be who they are without The Starting Line, including New Found Glory, State Champs, Taking Back Sunday, and The 1975. Even Taylor Swift name dropped the band in her song “The Black Dog” in 2024. Suffice to say, they walked so many others could run. Live, they are sharp as ever, launching into their classic “The Best Of Me” as soon as they get on stage. The crowd lit up immediately, singing all the words to the nostalgic 2000s song. At The Story So Far’s request, they also included “Saddest Girl Story” in their set, a song rarely played from their essential debut album, Say It Like You Mean It. The lively crowd got the mosh pit going for their heavier songs, and they bid farewell with a heartfelt “Leaving.”

Finally, it was time for the main event, The Story So Far’s final show of the tour. With no new songs to learn since 2024’s I Want to Disappear, the fans were ready for a setlist of non-stop bangers, and that’s exactly what they got. There is absolutely nothing casual about being a TSSF fan, everyone there was all-in. Their shows are lovingly dubbed “finger-pointing conventions” due to the staggering amount of finger pointing happening, Parker Cannon included.

There’s an unexplainable primal urge at a TSSF show to aggressively point while screaming every lyric back at Cannon as loudly as possible, leaning as far forward as you can. It’s kind of magical, and if you’re not doing that you’re moshing or joining the steady stream of crowd surfers who are also trying their best to point without falling. TSSF’s crowds don’t do anything moderately, and it must be such an experience to feel their fans love towards them in that way.

Included in the set were fan favorite hits such as “Empty Space” and “Roam,” as well as rarer songs like “Take Me as You Please” and “Mock” rounding it out. Emotions ran high in the packed theater as they closed out with “Clairvoyant,” the slowest song on the setlist and their most-streamed song, despite never being included on an album. They said thank you and goodnight and left the stage to resounding cheers. The crowd chanted for an encore and TSSF came back to perform one final song, “Quicksand,” satisfying the end of the tour.