Canadian rock band Silverstein hit a major milestone this year: 2025 marks their 25th year as a band. Throughout those 25 years, Silverstein has cemented their legacy as one of the most influential post-hardcore bands of the early 2000s. On January 10th, Silverstein took Philadelphia by storm at the Fillmore, starting their “25 Years of Noise” Tour with a bang. With a set that spans from their very first EPs to their most recent single, the show was a celebration of Silverstein’s history and a love letter to the fans that have stuck by them throughout the years. As the first show of this monumental celebration, the unrelenting energy from the crowd at a nearly sold-out Fillmore made the night an unforgettable experience and a well-deserved kickoff to Silverstein’s 25th anniversary.
Starting off the night was Split Chain, a hard rock band hailing from the UK. In fact, they informed the crowd that this was their very first US show! With catchy choruses, intense instrumentals, and a unique heavy yet melodic style, Split Chain quickly warmed up the crowd for the night, even getting some crowdsurfers which rarely happens during the first opener of a show. Surprisingly, Split Chain only has a few singles in their discography so far, such as their most recent single “I Don’t Wanna Be Me”, but their talent and energy would make one assume that they had been in the scene for years. This certainly won’t be their last US tour after such a great US debut show.
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Next to take the stage was Arm's Length, a Canadian emo rock band. Arm’s Length also reached a major milestone, announcing that this show at the Fillmore was the biggest room they have ever played to so far. Arm’s Length has gained a major following opening for bands in the past two years such as Real Friends, Heart Attack Man, and Origami Angel. As an emo band, their songs have heartfelt, relatable lyrics, but also catchy riffs and instrumentals that will make anyone dance or mosh, which effectively ramped up the crowd’s energy at the Fillmore. The band also debuted a new song, “Funny Face”, while also playing their hits from their album “Never Before Seen, Never Again Found”. Arm’s Length was proud of the Philly crowd’s enthusiasm, affirming them that Philly remains one of their favorite cities to visit.
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The final opener of the night was Thursday, a New Jersey-based rock band that has an extensive history within the early 2000s post-hardcore and emo scene. Thursday is renowned for its diverse musical style and experimentation, and their impact on the post-hardcore style as a whole, popularizing the use of heavier sounds and screams. They played a wide variety of their hits like “War All the Time” and “Understanding in a Car Crash”, which had the room erupting with energy. They also performed the live debut of their most recent single “Taking Inventory of a Frozen Lake”, which, among a few other singles released in 2024, is one of the first new songs that they have released since 2011. With these recent releases and this stunning set, Thursday’s comeback to music is just beginning.
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Finally, at around 9:35pm, the lights began to dim and a series of videos played on the screens on stage. The videos showcased Silverstein’s evolution throughout their 25 years together, along with a voiceover from vocalist Shane Told thanking the fans who helped them grow to where they are today. Right after the videos ended, Silverstein walked onto the stage as cheers from the crowd roared throughout the venue. The band opened with “Skin & Bones”, one of their recent singles from their upcoming album “Antibloom”, which releases on February 21st. They followed up with the live debut of “Confession”, another single from “Antibloom”. Singer Shane Told delivered powerful versatile vocals, doing great cleans and screams. Guitarists Paul Marc Rousseau and Josh Bradford brought energetic riffs and solos, while Paul Koehler’s drumming and Billy Hamilton’s bass lines completed the performance with thrilling rhythms.
As a celebration of the band’s history, Silverstein curated their setlist to include songs from every album of theirs, and moved chronologically from newest release to oldest. With 11 albums in their discography and a new one releasing soon, it is an impressive feat to fit all of those albums into one 20-song setlist. After playing their newest singles from their upcoming album, they performed “The Altar/Mary” from their 2022 album “Misery Made Me”. They then gave their 2020 record “A Beautiful Place to Drown” some focus, performing “Infinite” and “Bad Habits”. Throughout the set, the band was accompanied by stunning visuals on the screens behind them including intricate animations that represented the respective albums from which they were performing songs, and other captivating stage effects like bursts of smoke. The enthusiasm of the crowd never wavered throughout the set; even during the acoustic songs, fans were crowdsurfing!
Silverstein continued to move throughout the years from newest to oldest record, performing songs from “Dead Reflection” to “Arrivals & Departures”. They then got to feature their breakthrough album “Discovering the Waterfront”, beginning with the song “Your Sword Versus My Dagger”. As they played their hit song “Smile in Your Sleep”, the voices of the crowd could’ve shaken the walls of the venue as they sang along to every word. They ended with an acoustic performance of their other hit, “My Heroine”, before they briefly left the stage. As the crowd chanted for an encore, Silverstein returned and reminded the crowd that they hadn’t played anything from their oldest album just yet; they then performed “Smashed into Pieces”, a song from their debut album “When Broken is Easily Fixed”. After finishing with the song “Bleeds No More” with a burst of confetti, the fans were left with a night to remember. The first night of Silverstein’s 25th anniversary tour was as spectacular as one would expect, and we’ll have to see if the following cities will match Philly’s energy!
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