There are some shows where you can feel the night building long before the headliner sets foot on stage. That was the case at The Fillmore Auditorium on Saturday, where Motion City Soundtrack closed out a stacked lineup that felt like a mini-festival squeezed into one room.
The night started with three openers who warmed up the crowd early, people were still filing in, grabbing drinks, finding their spots, but the energy never dipped. By the time Oso Oso stepped out as the second band of the night, the place felt noticeably fuller.
Then Say Anything walked out, and Max Bemis didn’t waste any time dialing into the crowd. Midway through the set, one fan crowd-surfed all the way to the pit barrier. When security helped them down into that little no-man’s-land between the stage and the crowd, keyboardist Parker Case ran over to the side of the stage and reached down to high-five them.
By the time the lights went dark for Motion City Soundtrack, the room felt like it was holding its breath. And when they finally stepped out, it was like everyone had been saving their loudest yell for that exact moment.
They opened with “Some Wear a Dark Heart,” before diving into the mix of old favorites and fresh tracks from The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World. Fans who’ve caught their recent shows weren’t exaggerating, the band really does have this perfect blend right now. They play like they’re still having fun doing this, and it shows in the way they move around the stage.
The setlist was pulled from every era (19 songs total) and the crowd seemed to know every word whether it was from 2005 or 2025. Justin Pierre sounded strong all night, and the rest of the band locked in around him like the seasoned live crew they are. There’s something about their shows that always feels welcoming, like you could be a longtime fan or someone who only knows the big singles and you’d still feel at home.
The set ended with “The Future Freaks Me Out” and if you’ve been to a Motion City Soundtrack show before, you know that song is basically a group activity. The crowd sang so loudly that the band eventually stepped back and let it happen. They even paused before the bridge, counted down with the audience, and then let thousands of voices take over the entire moment.
Tickets for the Fall tour are still available and can be found here.
Remaining Motion City Soundtrack Tour Dates
12/02/25 – Showbox SoDo – Seattle, WA
12/03/25 – Roseland Theater – Portland, OR
12/05/25 – The Warfield – San Francisco, CA
12/06/25 – SOMA – San Diego, CA
12/07/25 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
12/09/25 – Marquee Theatre – Phoenix, AZ
01/23/26 – Revolution Live at the Backyard – Fort Lauderdale, FL
01/24/26 – House of Blues Orlando – Orlando, FL
01/26/26 – Marathon Music Works – Nashville, TN
01/27/26 – Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
01/28/26 – The Fillmore Charlotte – Charlotte, NC
01/30/26 – Brooklyn Paramount – Brooklyn, NY
01/31/26 – The Fillmore Philadelphia – Philadelphia, PA
02/01/26 – The Fillmore Silver Spring – Silver Spring, MD
02/03/26 – College Street Music Hall – New Haven, CT
02/04/26 – Roadrunner – Boston, MA
02/06/26 – Starland Ballroom – Sayreville, NJ
02/07/26 – Buffalo RiverWorks – Buffalo, NY
02/09/26 – Agora Theatre and Ballroom – Cleveland, OH
02/10/26 – The Fillmore – Detroit, MI
02/11/26 – The Rave / Eagles Club – Milwaukee, WI
02/13/26 – Riviera Theatre – Chicago, IL
02/14/26 – Palace Theatre – Saint Paul, MN
05/16/26 – Historic Crew Stadium – Columbus, OH
05/23/26 – Hatfield Park – Hertfordshire, UK
05/24/26 – Temple Newsam – Leeds, UK
Photos by Jenn Terrell (@jennterrellphotogaphy) / www.jennterrellart.com
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