TX2’s The Cruel World tour has been hyped up since the beginning, selling out shows across the country and bringing some of the “feel good” pop/punk and “nightmare pop” bands, Flatout and tiLLie, along for the fantastic ride. It was no surprise that this was another sold-out show. Every emo kid and elder emo in the Chicago area packed the 300+ capacity Beat Kitchen for one of the most iconic and feel-good shows we could experience this year. White collared shirts and black ties, or your best emo look, were the attire for the evening.  We came dressed for the party, so let’s get to it!

I’m going outside the box because it needs to be said. These shows on this tour have a unique setting for everyone involved. From the bands to the fans, everyone is treated as equal, there is no hate here, it’s a safe place for everyone to express themselves and have a good time. We’ve always prided ourselves on our open-mind policy, the love of the music, the message it sends, or the story it tells its fans.

The triple threat vocals of Joe Occhiuti, Michael Meany, and Tony Fortes give Flatout that fantastic mix of Pop from Mike, that old school Pop/punk feel from Joe, and Tony comes in with that hip hop vibe on vocals. Flatout brings an infectious and fun energy when these guys take the stage, which was shown tonight with these fans. tiLLie will tell you a story through her music about personal and traumatic experiences she’s been through. With her impressive vocal range and catchy lyrics, there is something for everyone in her set list to have fun and dance to. I can say that tiLLie has a way of reaching into your soul and connecting with her during her performance. What TX2 brings to the table is extraordinary. The storytelling through their music is individual and very relatable to their fans. Most of their songs are a big middle finger up to those who don’t like you and can’t accept you for who you are. The music is the “new age My Chemical Romance”; every song in their set list has something you can let loose to and have a fun time. Watching the connection between these three bands and fans tonight was terrific; it was personal, and the fans had a blast. New friendships were made, and all that was was a place where they could be themselves without being judged.

I covered many of the metalcore scene shows for Get Some Magazine, but this was definitely outside the box for us. We made a lot of friends that night; we felt accepted and had a fun time. I send this message to everyone who has not caught this tour yet…go and have fun at a show where you feel like you are part of a big family of great friends. Spread the love people, life is too short to be hating on each other.  Oh yeah, an honorable mention goes out to TX2’s merch guy Kyle, who made us feel at home at this show, the best merch guy on the planet. Catch you on the following one, peeps.

TX2

TILLIE

FLATOUT