Emo Nite Hawaii

emo nite hawaii.

Wow. Where do I even begin with this? Going to give my best attempt.

Emo Nite. An event for all, but a party for the community. A community of perhaps former "emo" kids. Warped Tour attendees. Rock music enthusiasts. Maybe even lonely individuals. Sad souls. People who were labeled "different".

I first heard of Emo Nite in late 2015. One of my favorite bands during my middle school years, We The Kings, had their lead singer Travis Clark guest DJ. Later seeing a post on Instagram, I was curious what this "Emo Nite" event even was. What even is Emo Nite? What do you do there? Do you have to dress up as an emo kid? What if I realized I never fully grew out of this phase? Wait, mom...it's not a phase!! After deep diving into social media, watching YouTube videos from their events, and slowly learning what it was all about, my interest was piqued to its max.

Emo Nite has events all throughout the mainland, and frequently has events in my hometown of Seattle. Having moved to Hawaii in 2012, there were many aspects I missed about living on the mainland. One major aspect being the amount of shows and concerts coming through your city. Coincidentally enough, however, The Republik opened their doors the same month I moved to Hawaii. This promised more shows in Honolulu, and I was excited. Excited to see what the music scene in my new city would be like, and more so attend shows and experience the music culture here.

Throughout my now almost 7 years living in Honolulu, I've attended tons of shows at The Republik. Rise Against. Allen Stone. Incubus. Michael Franti & Spearhead. Krewella. Young The Giant. Taking Back Sunday. The list could go on. What was memorable for me, in February 2017, Yellowcard played their last show in Hawaii after announcing the band's break up following their final world tour. Prior to Yellowcard hitting the stage, the pre-show music was a mix of popular punk rock and pop rock songs. Green Day. Linkin Park. Fall Out Boy. People were listening. People began singing along. Soon, the entire venue was screaming the lyrics to "I Write Sins, Not Tragedies" by Panic! At The Disco. I was excited the concertgoers were so into it! Some shows, no one really seems to care, let alone sing along. Maybe it was the hype and emotions knowing it was the last time we'd see Yellowcard, but the vibe was strong and the energy was electric.

Fast forward to summer of 2017. I had just graduated from UH Manoa, and moved back home to Seattle. I was excited my 16+ years of schooling had finally come to an end, but I also felt as if I hit a dead end. Typical emotions for a freshly graduated student to feel - I realize now - but man. It was weird being back in my childhood bedroom in my parent's house after having lived away from home for 4 years. But one of the best parts about being back in Seattle? The music scene is ridiculous. There's a show happening essentially every night. Just a quick Google search will land you results from nationally touring acts to smaller dive bar shows. One result in particular popped up that I liked. Emo Nite Seattle. Chop Suey. August 8th. $10 tickets. I was sold.

Long story short, I ended up going to Emo Nite alone. I wasn't upset, as I attend shows solo all the time. I was too excited since this was my first Emo Nite! Having heard such great things about it, my expectations were pretty high. And I was not at all disappointed. I walk into the sweat box that is Chop Suey, and immediately see all black. Black walls, black balloons, black clothes. Yup, I was at Emo Nite alright!

I make my way towards the stage where people were singing at the top of their lungs to bands such as Senses Fail, Saosin, and The Used. I bumped into some people standing along the railing, and turned to see Craig Mabbitt, lead singer of Escape The Fate. Say what?! That was one of my favorite bands in middle and early high school! Craig was the guest DJ for the night, and even led an a capella version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" at one point.

Throughout the night, I sang. I danced. I drank. I screamed. I even cried?! I was emotional. It was so much fun. I was with people who just gets this kind of music. They get the scene. They get the community. They were the ones that made Emo Nite so special - and they were all just strangers.

I had a weird, exhilarating feeling when leaving. I had so much fun. As much fun as some of the best concerts I had been to. I attended two more Emo Nites since, in Seattle and Portland. I was hooked. I loved it. I wanted to go to more. I wanted one in Hawaii. And I wanted to make it happen. For a while, I'd bother whoever ran the Emo Nite social media and messaged, DM'ed, tweeted and basically harassed them for a Hawaii Emo Nite.

So since summer of 2017, I had been bothering Emo Nite to come out to Hawaii for a show. I wanted my friends to experience it. I wanted anyone who has ever attended a rock show in Honolulu to experience it. No words will truly encapsulate what Emo Nite really is until you attend one for yourself.

And now, in Honolulu, you can.

May 24th. The Republik. Emo Nite Hawaii is finally happening.

Seeing you there would mean the absolute world to me. Having played a teeny tiny part in helping make this happen, this event means a lot to me. It's a culture. It's a community. But most of all, it's a party!

Tickets for Emo Nite available here. Be there or be sad.

Also sorry for my 1000 word essay. Wow. I'm not okay. I promise.