Hawthorne Heights Celebrates 20 Years of “If Only You Were Lonely” in Philadelphia

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2000s emo icons Hawthorne Heights are celebrating 20 years of their fan-favorite album If Only You Were Lonely, released on February 28, 2026 via Craft Recordings. In honor of this milestone, the band embarked on a massive world tour starting in April, visiting cities in Australia and New Zealand, Southeast Asia and Japan, and Europe and the UK. On October 20, the North American leg of their tour finally began, and will continue hitting major cities across the US until the tour’s conclusion on November 25 in St. Louis, MO. Now a week into the tour, Hawthorne Heights stopped at Philadelphia’s Brooklyn Bowl to a near sold-out crowd, performing If Only You Were Lonely in full and other fan-favorite tracks, making it a memory the fans would keep with them forever.

Kicking off the night was UK-based rock band Creeper. As soon as they walked onto the stage, they captivated the audience with their stage presence, wearing matching black leather jackets and vampire-inspired makeup. The band opened with “Mistress of Death” from their most recent album, Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death, which was released on October 31, 2025 via Spinefarm Music Group. Creeper stands out as a unique presence in the scene, with their spooky visual aesthetics and unique brand of goth-inspired rock. Even though many that night may have just been introduced to Creeper, the band had some dedicated fans in the room, with a few people wearing matching makeup and Creeper logo jackets. The band closed with their 2023 song “Cry to Heaven”, a catchy, anthemic goth rock track that had the audience jumping along until the very end. As the set concluded, it was clear that Creeper made many new fans that night.

CREEPER: Website | Facebook | Instagram

Creeper:

Will Gould - vocals

Ian Miles - guitar, backing vocals

Sean Scott - bass, backing vocals

Hannah Greenwood - keyboards, backing and lead vocals

Jake Fogarty - drums, percussion

Lawrie Pattinson - guitar, backing vocals

Creeper - Setlist

Mistress of Death

Lovers Led Astray

Headstones

The Ballad of Spook & Mercy

Parasite

Cry to Heaven

The second and final opener of the night was post-hardcore band Letlive. Opening with the high-energy “The Sick, Sick, 6.8 Billion”, the band immediately got the fans off their feet. Vocalist Jason Aalon Butler is known for his relentless energy and crazy onstage antics, jumping and running across the stage nonstop. Letlive put on a true punk rock set, with unfiltered, raw energy throughout, keeping the mosh pit moving and encouraging numerous crowdsurfers. Halfway through the set, Jason even jumped into the crowd and performed on top of the bar in the back of the venue, instantly creating one of the most memorable moments of the night. The band closed with the 7-minute long “27 Club” from their 2013 album The Blackest Beautiful, and fans kept moshing and crowdsurfing until the very last note. Letlive certainly made an impact on the fans that night, successfully warming them up for the upcoming headliner.

LETLIVE: Website | Facebook | Instagram | X

Letlive:

Jason Aalon Butler - vocals

Jean Francisco Nascimento - guitar

Jeff Sahyoun - guitar

Letlive - Setlist

Le Prologue

The Sick, Sick, 6.8 Billion

Renegade 86’

White America’s Beautiful Black Market

Another Offensive Song

Banshee (Ghost Fame)

Muther

Good Mourning, America

27 Club

Later that night, the lights dimmed for the final time that night as screens on the stage began to light up, building anticipation. The “Twilight Zone” theme song began to play as black-and-white clips of telephones played on the screens, followed by the “Halloween” theme. Soon enough, Hawthorne Heights walked onto the stage as the room filled with cheers. The band went right into their playthrough of If Only You Were Lonely, opening with “This Is Who We Are”. The energy within the room immediately escalated, with fans jumping along at the barricade and other fans crowdsurfing.

A few songs into the set, vocalist JT Woodruff made sure to give Philly a shoutout, saying that he appreciates how loud Philadelphia crowds always are. He also mentioned how this crowd comes from the greatest generation of music fans, making emo music big just by sharing songs on forums like Myspace, emphasizing the importance of community. JT said that the internet has become less and less about community and lifting others up these days, and there should be a return to form, especially for the upcoming generations of bands, and he was met with cheers of agreement. As the band continued playing through If Only You Were Lonely, the fans continued singing, jumping, and clapping along, encapsulating that idea of community. The band then concluded their playthrough of the album with “Decembers”, which JT dedicated to his wife, saying that he recorded the album right after their wedding, and the venue lit up with waving phone flashlights.

After their playthrough of If Only You Were Lonely, the band briefly left the stage as the fans chanted for more. When Hawthorne Heights returned to the stage, they went into “Bring You Back” from their 2010 album Skeletons as the fans cheered. The band performed other fan-favorites such as “Niki FM” from their 2004 debut album The Silence in Black and White, which had the entire room singing along. Of course, the band concluded with their breakthrough song and emo anthem “Ohio Is For Lovers”, and the voices of the crowd boomed throughout the venue as they sang along to every word, while other fans started to crowdsurf, ending the night on a memorable note. Hawthorne Heights' show in Philadelphia was a must-see experience for any 2000s emo fan, giving everyone a night to remember.