On a Sunday night in college town Bloomington, Illinois, The Story So Far closed out their U.S. fall tour with help from melodic hardcore bands Turnstile and Drug Church. The three bands were doing their second run of the year with this lineup, deciding to repeat it given the overwhelmingly positive response from their short Midwestern run back in the Spring. Fans had not lost their enthusiasm.

Drug Church hit the stage before the others, waking up the crowd with their rugged New York energy. They played a half-hour set of eight short songs, each one conveying a different mood than the last. The movement started with a few and spread throughout the majority of the crowd.

Playing just before The Story So Far was Turnstile from Baltimore, Maryland – a group of guys with a unique level of onstage stamina. The band took the stage with “7”, the opening track from their first full-length record, leading right into “Keep It Moving.” The crowd did just that, and by the end of that song, security guards were holding the barricade together at a seam that the crowd had busted open. Turnstile kept the set moving with several songs from their most recent record, Nonstop Feeling, their new single “Real Thing,” and older tracks from their first record and EP.

Finally came Northern Californian pop-punk band The Story So Far. The Story So Far consistently gives way to some of the craziest crowds in pop punk. Crowd surfing is always a common trend as well as a tight, sweaty sea of kids from wall to wall. This show, although at a larger venue than the intimate spaces they thrive in, was no exception. Fans fed off of TSSF’s loud, confident energy throughout the whole set while they played their usual hits as well as their new song, “Out of It.” The energy level didn’t falter for even a moment during this show – All three bands went out with a bang on this tour’s finale.

Gallery & Review by Micki Harris