Emo Night Boston

I hate writing negative reviews. This is a first for me. But I have to be honest, right?

I’ve heard so much about Emo Night. Emo Night Brooklyn, Emo Night (or Taking Back Tuesday) LA, and even Emo Night San Francisco (which I have a ticket for in July). They’re supposed to be these huge parties, normally with both DJs and live musical guests. As someone who grew up on emo music, I joked that I would be there singing the songs of my people.

Emo Night Boston did not live up to nearly what I imagined it to be.

I’m not writing off the other cities just yet. I still believe they know how to party. But I think Boston might have missed the memo about what Emo Night is supposed to be unfortunately.

Two things should have tipped me off that it was different. For one, it’s not a ticketed event. And for two, it’s at a tiny little bar/restaurant.

I normally don’t mind going to shows alone, and that’s more or less what I imagined the night to be like. So I went alone and didn’t think anything of it. Until I realized that this wasn’t a party. It was literally just a bar playing emo music all night.

For a bar, it was a good time. I think there should be a bar that plays this kind of music all the time everywhere. Or at least let this be a weekly occurrence. But making a big deal out of a bar playing different music once?

The music wasn’t even what I expected. Maybe about half of the songs played got the entire bar screaming along, but many I had never heard before. Which is sad, because as I said, the songs of my people.

I wanted The Used. I wanted 30 Seconds to Mars. I wanted Jimmy Eat World. I wanted Taking Back Sunday. I wanted early 2000’s Green Day even. I got maybe one My Chemical Romance song and one Panic! at the Disco, but there could have been so much more.

The most exciting thing that happened was Coheed and Cambria’s “A Favor House Atlantic” coming on. I had to snapchat myself and send it to all my friends from Denverender, which had just taken place about two weeks prior, so I was still on a Coheed high (who am I kidding, I still am).

But for the most part, I was chilling in a corner of the bar drinking ciders all night and talking to anyone who wanted to talk to me. It was an average night at a bar. That’s all. It feels like it’s not even worth writing a review about honestly. If you’re in the Northeast and looking for an Emo Night party, I suggest getting to Brooklyn instead.

And for those of you looking for some good emo music? Rolling Stone compiled a list of the 40 greatest emo albums of all time. Maybe some bars can get some good ideas out of it.

Featured image by Luke O’Neil