On December 2nd, The Rave in Milwaukee, WI, welcomed a stacked lineup of emo music for fans near and far. Senses Fail and Story of the Year brought the Scream Tour to this iconic venue and did not disappoint. Opening for these co-headliners was Armour For Sleep from New Jersey. They love the Midwest and were glad to be here with 2 other amazing bands. Armour For Sleep had a fun punk rock sound that I couldnβt help but bob my head to. They played a variety of songs from their discography, including The Outer Ring from their 2025 album There Is No Memory, and older songs like Car Underwater, which is from their 2005 album What To Do When You Are Dead. I loved the energy and headbanging that Armour For Sleep brought to the stage and think that they were a perfect opener for a night of emo nostalgia.
Story Of The Year :: Senses Fail :: Armor For Sleep
December 2, 2025
The Rave, Milwaukee WI
Shot & Review by Kelsie Barlow
On December 2nd, The Rave in Milwaukee, WI, welcomed a stacked lineup of emo music for fans near and far: co-headliners Senses Fail and Story Of The Year brought the Scream Tour to this iconic venue and did not disappoint. Opening for these co-headliners was Armor For Sleep from New Jersey. They love the Midwest and were glad to be here with two other amazing bands. Armor For Sleep had a fun punk rock sound that I couldnβt help but bob my head to. They played a variety of songs from their discography, including The Outer Ring from their 2025 album There Is No Memory, and older songs like βCar Underwaterβ, which is from their 2005 album What To Do When You Are Dead. I loved the energy and headbanging that Armour For Sleep brought to the stage and think that they were a perfect opener for a night of emo nostalgia.
The first headliner to take the stage was Senses Fail from New Jersey, and they brought chaos and energy like no other. The band had a unique entrance sequence that I loved. Music started playing, and the drummer was the first to enter. A spotlight shone on him, and he started playing. From there, each band member entered one by one as spotlights went off and they started their first song βBuried a Lieβ. Frontman Buddy Nielsen was swinging the microphone by the chord and had a commanding stage presence that you couldnβt take your eyes off of. In one of their opening songs, Buddy asked the crowd if anyone had been to the gym today, and then said that itβs okay if we hadnβt because we were about to during this song. Senses Fail seemed to prioritise audience involvement, and fans were here for it. They played hits such as βDeath By Waterβ, βBetween the Mountains And The Seaβ, βLifeboatsβ, and they closed the set with βBite to Break Skinβ. Senses Fail brought all the fun and feels that fans in attendance will never forget.
Story of the Year from Saint Louis, MO has one of the more memorable entrances Iβve seen in all my years, as they graced the stage riding scooters while βChariots of Fireβ played in the background. It was a fun and lighthearted way to start the show before the tone switched to a heavier one as they opened with βGasoline (All Rage Still Only Numb)β. That opening song was so energetic that it started a stream of excitement and electricity that would carry through their whole set. The band said they have been to The Rave many times and love it here. They are excited to be on this tour and said that they love touring with their friends and travelling the country and ββ¦kissing each other, being weird at 40.β The energy and percussion in some of their songs reminded me of Turnstile, and the intensity carried through their songs. During one of the songs, the band's frontman got up onto the barricade and into the crowd with fans. He also said that he learned long ago that you donβt have to hit the notes, you just have to sing with passion (but he was still hitting the notes). The band played many iconic songs like βOur Time Is Nowβ, βReal Lifeβ, βThe Black Swanβ, and βIn The Shadowsβ. Story of the Year has an incredibly diverse sound that makes for amazing live music in both their heavier songs and acoustic songs. The crowd was having the time of their lives crowdsurfing, and the band closed out the show with βUntil The Day I Dieβ. This co-headlining tour was one for the books.
