Photos: HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS (Worcester, MA) – 2023/09/17

October 27, 2023October 27, 2023 Matt Darcy 315 Views Alternative Rock, Hawthorne Heights, Is For Lovers, Massachusetts Is For Lovers, Pop Punk, Post-Hardcore, Worcester Palladium

Last year HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS announced three editions of their “Is For Lovers Festival,” which is curated by the band and named after what is considered to be their signature song or “Emo Anthem” depending on who you ask. This year, they not only brought the festival back but also increased the number of dates, making stops in Hawaii, Nevada, Colorado, North Carolina, Iowa, Utah, California, Ohio, Tennessee, and Massachusetts for the 2023 installments.

Like the inaugural appearances, the lineups shift per location but include friends of the band and others that they are simply fans of including the likes of Jimmy Eat World, Thrice, Atreyu, Thursday, Bayside, Underoath, Alkaline Trio, Touche Amore, Four Year Strong, Norma Jean, The Story So Far, State Champs, Mayday Parade, 3OH!3, Saosin, and more.

The initial Massachusetts Is For Lovers lineup included Alkaline Trio, Refused, and Bayside but due to low ticket sales at an amphitheatre, resulted in a venue change with an abridged lineup. This may have not been what the band had envisioned for their festival, but the silver lining was that they, alongside Silverstein, Emery, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Further Seems Forever, Proper., Slow Joy, and Mall Cops, all played to a more intimate crowd to some of the most diehard, loyal, and dedicated fans they could have ever imagined. To give you the scope, Xfinity Center reaches a capacity of 19,900 compared to the modest accommodations of the Palladium at 2,160. It became its own unique, intimate night that was intended to be something special in the first place.

HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS live at the Palladium in Worcester, MA on September 17, 2023 – part of Massachusetts Is For Lovers. Photographs by @bananamasher.