by Kelsie Barlow | March 7th, 2026

All images are fromHawthorne Height’s -Lonely World Tour Milwaukee, WI on 3/7/26.

Hawthorne Heights stopped at The Rave in Milwaukee for night 3 of the “Lonely World Tour” with support from Letlive and Creeper. The tour celebrates the 20th anniversary of their 2006 album “If Only You Were Lonely”, and the excitement was palpable. Fans of all ages, including children, gathered and waited for the show to start.

Photo By Kelsie Barlow | @Kelsieleephotography

Creeper took the stage first, and I was immediately struck by their look. Every band member wore matching makeup, including black curves that ran from their hairlines to their ears and bloody-looking mouths. The band deems themselves to be a cult, and that’s the exact vibe they give. I enjoyed the goth-alternative sound of the band and was really drawn into their stage energy. Hailing from the UK, Creeper brought a memorable energy, catchy sound, and set an electric tone for the rest of the show.

Letlive took the stage shortly after, and I have to admit, I was unfathomably pumped. I have been a Letlive fan for about 13 years, and had yet to see them live, so getting to feel their insane energy from the photo pit was something I’ll never forget. Frontman Jason Butler is a powerhouse performer, and he put on one of the most chaotic and emotional shows I’ve ever seen. Fans experienced a mix of iconic Letlive songs like 27 Club, Renegade ‘86, and Banshee (Ghost Fame), and jaw-dropping live moments, including Butler throwing water all over the audience and himself, going into the crowd, and hanging off the balcony. Letlive has always been a stand-up band and shared some tidbits that felt very special. Leading up to their live rendition of Muther, Jason talked about how his dad is from Milwaukee and how he was the one who inspired him to make music. He then talked about how Muther is dedicated to his mom, every woman in and out of this room, and the city of Milwaukee. “Women don’t need your help, but they very much deserve your respect”, Butler stated. I don’t say this very often, but I truly believe that seeing Letlive live is a life-changing experience, and they put on a show that I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

Hawthorne Heights takes the stage at 8:45, and the crowd goes absolutely wild. Hawthorne Heights is one of those quintessential emo bands, and getting to see them live was a privilege. They started the show with a complete playthrough of “If Only You Were Lonely”, which was made around the golden age of emo (Warped Tour 2005), and it was magical to hear so many generations of emo singing along. At one point, lead singer JT Woodruff started talking about the emo community and what the band means. “We were seeking people who felt alone, but still alive, just like us”, Woodruff said. He emphasized how important communities and rooms like this are, and how the future generation of emo in the room needed to remember that and carry this music and meaning on. JT also told us that he was celebrating 20 years of marriage with his wife this year, and how they recorded this album right after he got married. He wrote the song Decembers in a small New Jersey studio, and was reflecting about how he had to leave his wife to make this music so soon after their wedding. He actually didn’t tell his wife this story until last year.

Throughout the concert, between jamming out and during the opening bands' performances, a picture of a cardinal kept popping up on the screen with a corresponding QR code. JT put an end to the mystery behind this, telling fans that by scanning the code, they will be able to pre-save a brand new song by the band that’s dropping in two weeks. The song is called Like A Cardinal and is about how even though a lot of us experience dark thoughts and panic, we all mend and move on. He said that this song goes out to all of us, and played it live for Milwaukee fans. After the amazing debut of this song for Milwaukee fans, they thanked us for 25 years and played their most well-known song and crowd favorite, Ohio Is For Lovers. There was non-stop crowd surfing during this song. I even saw a child crow-surfing, and it was so wholesome to see everyone cheering him on. March 7th was a feel-good night of music in Milwaukee, and a chance for emo fans to gather in a safe and accepting space.