mewithoutYou
Farewell mewithoutYou. This was a bittersweet one.
Philadelphia based mewithoutYou are a band I’ve seen a score of times and listened to for decades. So when they announced that they were going to be hanging it all up after many years by going on one last tour I knew I had to be there. That’s how I found myself in road tripping 8 hours to North Carolina in February of 2020 to see the last show I’d see before a certain pandemic hit. This is not that show.
I thought it’d be my last time seeing mewithoutYou, but in fact it was just my last show for a year or so, and not even my last show for mewithoutYou at that! You see, they knew that cutting it short was not the ending this band and their fans deserved, so fast forward to 2022 and it’s Farewell Tour (Pt. Two). This time they came to my home city of Nashville and I got to see them for one last time (again).
They played at Eastside Bowl, a venue I’d not been to before but had an amazing time at. All the staff were friendly and helpful, the room had plenty of good angles to shoot from, and there is a certain charm about seeing a band you love play the back of a bowling alley. I arrived just as doors opened.
I walked in and straight to the merch tables to see what was available and see who was supporting. I asked and they said: “We are ‘68. We play rock music.” Kinda nondescript so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but after spending some time catching up with old friends and meeting new ones, it was time for the show to start and me to find out.
Rock music is an understatement. Imagine if Swedish post-hardcore pioneers Refused merged with New York’s Beastie Boys, throw in some southern charm, and get a little confused over where the line is between rock & roll / grind core. I was immediately grabbed by the music and taken on a ride that I didn’t want to stop. It was only half way through that I realised I’d seen this energy before from the familiar looking guitarist, Josh Scogin, when I saw his previous band, The Chariot, play in the UK sometime in 2007. Good stuff.
Finally, mewithoutYou took to the stage and what followed was around 90 minutes of bliss. This band has such a special place in my heart as we’ve crossed paths throughout the years so getting to see them, and photograph them, one last time was wonderful.
They were on form, and even some minor technical difficulties didn’t hurt the obvious affection of the crowd, made up of some new, but many old fans (and their kids). Highlights where all 24 songs, how to pick a favourite? But hearing guest vocals from Josh as they played a snippet of his song (originally with a guest appearance from Aaron Weiss) was a lot of fun, as was seeing Aaron jump into the crowd at various points, and seeing Nashville local, Timbre, reprise her role one last time to guest with them on the harp.
In one way this is the end of a beautiful journey for me. The music does still live on in recordings but thankfully I was blessed with a second goodbye to one of my favourite bands, that I have counted as friends. I got to make these memories you see below, as well us the ones I treasure within.
