The Story So Far, a pop punk quintet from Walnut Creek, California, kicked off their Spring 2022 headlining tour last week on April 11th in Salt Lake City, Utah. The third show on their tour took place at Royal Oak Music Theatre in Royal Oak, Michigan last Friday, April 15th. The Story So Far brought Joyce Manor, Mom Jeans, and Microwave along on this tour. The Michigan crowd did not fail to show up for this nearly all Californian lineup, selling out Royal Oak Music Theatre.
Atlanta Georgia’s rock quartet, Microwave, started the evening with a heavy hitting set, and a crowd that did not reciprocate the energy. Personally, I am a big fan of Microwave and was rather disappointed by the lack of movement and excitement in the crowd during Microwave’s set. Despite this, Microwave played one of the greatest sets I have ever seen them play. The balance between instrumentation and vocals was record quality, and the set was perfectly balanced. They played songs from every era of Microwave, from their first album, Stovall, to their newest song “Circling the Drain”, released just a week prior to the show. In a quick 8 song setlist, the band showcased the heart of Microwave.
Berkeley, California alternative rock quartet, Mom Jeans, was the second band of the evening to take the stage. If you hadn’t heard their new album Sweet Tooth, you certainly did after their set. Mom Jeans opened up with “Shred Cruz” from their 2017 Split EP with Graduating Life and closed the set with “Edward 40Hands” from their debut album Best Buds. Sandwiched between these two hit Mom Jeans songs was their 3rd album Sweet Tooth, almost in its entirety. The crowd was clearly no stranger to Mom Jeans, with massive energy, mosh pits, and a plethora of crowd surfers. Fans were screaming every word, and Mom Jeans even played “Ten Minutes” live for the first time off of Sweet Tooth, one of my personal favorite tracks from the album. Attendees got to experience the essence of the iconic lean, mean, Mom Jeans revenge machine.
Joyce Manor, Torrance, California rock natives, played their first Michigan show in nearly 3 years last Friday. The setlist was the perfect ‘Joyce Manor Essentials’ playlist, playing nearly all of their best known songs and their soon-to-be hit tracks off their new album 40 Oz. to Fresno, coming out June 10th. Joyce Manor also played with record-like sound quality, a perfect balance of musical elements. The crowd was an unlimited well of energy and love for the Torrance rock band, keeping up the movement from start to finish. The mosh pits were bigger, the screaming was louder, and the crowd surfers just kept coming. Michigan had missed Joyce Manor, and they were making the most out of their jam packed set.
Headlining California natives, The Story So Far, took the stage a little after 10 pm to end the evening. Playing until almost 11:30 at night, The Story So Far did not disappoint. The setlist was a perfect mix of all 4 albums and it opened with their iconic pull-at-your-heartstrings track, “Clairvoyant”. Immediately picked up the crowd by following with “Keep This Up”, and fans knew exactly what to do. Mosh pits that were nearly half the size of the floor opened up and hardly slowed down for the entire set. The Story So Far organized their setlist brilliantly, pacing the crowd with softer clusters of songs between hard hitting tracks, to keep the energy maintained over the hour-long set (roughly). The lighting fueled the crowd, reacting to the lyrics and rhythm of the songs. There was no shortage of people moving to The Story So Far and there was an endless supply of crowd surfers for every song.
Michigan never fails to produce a crowd worth remembering when The Story So Far plays. Royal Oak Music Theatre was buzzing after the show, running on pure adrenaline, sweat, and spilled drinks. The Story So Far brought a killer lineup to Royal Oak that was worth every cent of the ticket, and fans showed up for it (and sold it out)! Catch the remaining dates of The Story So Far headliner here!