Back for its second year and stronger than ever, the Hawthorne Heights-backed traveling festival California Is For Lovers made its way to The Torch at the Coliseum in Los Angeles to close out the summer in style. With a lineup of a dozen different emo and hard rock acts - some veterans and some new, California Is For Lovers brought back even more emo magic than its inaugural year.

While the festival previously took place in Silverado where sunshine was plentiful but cellphone service was nonexistent, The Torch proved to be a big step-up; with a ton of shade, cell reception, and concrete instead of dirt, the festival allowed for a cleaner and more convenient atmosphere. Food and drink stalls as well as fun pop-ups like the scene-kid-face painting Cryspace were still there, and thankfully, even more merch for both the festival and acts playing were available. Similar to last year, fans came out in droves pretty early on to catch some of their favorite nostalgic and new emo and hardcore bands.

Starting out the day strong, classic acts The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and A Static Lullaby reminded the crowd what made them early 2000s iPod staples. Singer Ronnie Winters of Jumpsuit gave the shoutout to all the “elder emos” in the crowd that “remember when Netflix used to mail DVDs.” Lullaby’s Joe Brown screamed every lyric while the audience repeated each line back to him without missing a beat. A fun new addition to the day was upcoming band New Aesthetic. In a fun twist, singer and guitarist Gabriel Muñoz was pulled onstage at California Is For Lovers 2023 to play guitar with Hawthorne Heights during their set. Gabriel must’ve impressed Hawthorne because his own band made it to the Is For Lovers stage. The quartet of young guys - who initially formed after meeting at a Knuckle Puck show - were having a blast jumping across the stage and claiming this is the closest they’ll ever get to Warped Tour.

For the emo fans looking for something a bit softer, This Wild Life brought colorful and acoustic pop punk vibes that still rocked. The crowd sang along as shimmery purple and blue lights danced over the band, and voices carried as the band jumped into a Dashboard Confessional cover. Cartel, led by singer and guitarist Will Pugh, managed to sound as good as ever with that classic melodic-emo affection; the energy they brought during classic hits like “Let’s Go” and “Burn This City” couldn’t help but make you smile.

Fans lucky enough to catch veterans Finch erupted with joy at the band opening with their classic “Letters to You.” Singer Nate Barcolow has grown into himself as a performer and matured as a singer in a way you don’t often see in this genre. Guitarist Randy Strohmeyer was a joy to watch, flipping around the stage with energy and emotion, particularly during “What It Is To Burn” and “Stay With Me.” Following Finch - and coming to the stage a little less than 10 minutes late - were Saosin, who tore through a rip-roaring set played almost entirely in thick fog. So many crowdsurfers were popping in and out of the pit that security quickly developed an assembly line system that kept everyone safe and still having fun.

The highlights of the day were undeniably Stick To Your Guns and Bilmuri, aka Johnny Franck, the former frontman of Attack Attack! Stick To Your Guns, led by Jesse Barnett, were placed on the slightly smaller John Beatz stage, which was definitely a mistake. The band’s huge sound felt like it could’ve filled a stadium and crowdsurfers quickly took over both the pit of fans and photo pit. Franck and the Bilmuri crew felt like the only band ever to pull off a badass saxophone solo. Dressed in a football jersey that read “Ohio Against The World,” Franck quickly won over the crowd and kept the energy at a 10 for the entire set.

Not wanting to let that energy wane, Anberlin jumped onstage after Bilmuri and put on a show that no one at the festival missed. With Memphis May Fire’s Matty Mullins as the band’s new vocalist, the new band felt like they still had plenty of life still in them. Colorful purple and green lights lit up their stage as nearly every band member jumped up on risers to better see the crowd. They were the perfect act to close out the John Beatz stage with a career-spanning set.

The headliners and festival namesake holders Hawthorne Heights went from midday performers last year to now closing out the festival. Singer JT Woodruff stepped up to that headlining spot with strong presence and plenty of warmth. He had been walking around the fest all day saying hi to fans and being sweet to everyone who wanted to chat or take photos. Onstage, he kept repeating that the value and magic of this festival was pretending it was 2004, and to ignore the rest of the world outside. The escapism of it all seemed to really resonate with the crowd, who couldn’t help but cheer every time Woodruff reminded them that they were once just a bunch of kids from Dayton, Ohio, who were still getting to live their dream twenty years later.

In all, California Is For Lovers is a successful festival because it puts fans first; with highly curated lineups of bands people have loved for decades plus a few newer acts to bring fun, fans get to relive all their best memories of Warped Tour, old mix CDs, seemingly simpler times. Hats off to the organizers and bands who recognize that emo was never just a phase, but a movement that spoke to and still speaks to people.

CALIFORNIA IS FOR LOVERS