Nobody asked for it, but we’re getting it anyway: Emo Orchestra, a live performance featuring full-orchestra renditions of angsty tunes of yore, is coming to a city near you. Created by Ben Mench-Thurlow, the tour’s inaugural run is set for Fall 2023 with special guests Hawthorne Heights.
Emo Orchestra is billed as a “perfectly designed tribute to the music that shaped emo fans when the genre first exploded, but is tailored to the people its fans have become in the years since.”
Mench-Thurlow explains further: “Our goal with Emo Orchestra was to create an inclusive experience that appeals to a wide audience of music fans. It’s an opportunity for early fans of the emo genre to share the music that we all loved with the next generation, and it was curated to be family friendly. The addition of the orchestra adds a cool texture and depth to these nostalgic hits and may also expose fans to instrumentation they’re less familiar with in a new setting. And orchestra lovers will experience what they enjoy with an exciting twist!”
According to a promo clip, the set will feature covers of Taking Back Sunday, Fall Out Boy, Dashboard Confessional, and more — skewing a bit more pop-punk than, say, Sunny Day Real Estate. It looks like the show will consist of Hawthorne Heights performing all songs with the orchestra in the background, rather than a more posh, fully-instrumental show. Seems…interesting!
It all begins on September 27th in Cincinnati, wrapping up on November 11th in Oakland. Tickets go on sale this Friday, June 30th over at the Emo Orchestra website, and you can see the full schedule below.
Before Emo Orchestra begins, Hawthorne Heights are also reviving their “Is For Lovers Festival” this year, which will also include their contemporaries like Jimmy Eat World, Alkaline Trio, Thrice, and more.
Proud to announce the inaugural EMO ORCHESTRA, featuring @HawthorneHgts, September 27 – November 11!
Covering all your favorite emo hits of your youth complete with a full orchestra arrangement. Tickets on-sale Friday, 6/30 at 10AM Local time at https://t.co/SKkYNvAKnj pic.twitter.com/VHKhKwMyJd
— Emo Orchestra (@Emo_Orchestra) June 28, 2023
Emo Orchestra 2023 Tour Dates:
09/27 – Cincinnati, OH @ Taft Theatre
09/28 – Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
10/01 – Atlanta, GA @ Atlanta Symphony Hall
10/04 – Patchogue, NY @ Patchogue Theatre
10/05 – Englewood, NJ @ Bergen Performing Arts Center
10/06 – Torrington, CT @ Warner Theatre
10/07 – Glenside, PA @ Keswick Theatre
10/12 – Washington, DC @ Warner Theatre
10/14 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Ovation Hall at Ocean Casino Resort
10/18 – Fort Pierce, FL @ Sunrise Theatre
10/20 – Akron, OH @ Goodyear Theater
10/21 – Waterloo, NY @ Del Lago Resort & Casino
10/22 – McKees Rocks, PA @ Roxian Theater
10/24 – Louisville, KY @ The Louisville Palace Theatre
10/25 – Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre at Old National Centre
10/26 – Sheboygan, WI @ Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts
10/27 – Waukegan, IL @ The Genesee Theatre
10/28 – Kalamazoo, MI @ James W. Miller Auditorium
10/30 – St. Paul, MN @ Fitzgerald Theater
11/02 – Davenport, IA @ The Capitol Theater
11/03 – Des Moines, IA @ Hoyt Sherman Place
11/05 – Omaha, NE @ The Astro Theater
11/09 – Palm Desert, CA @ McCallum Theatre
11/11 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater