EMERY
20th Anniversary of The Question
w/ Have Mercy // Good Terms
High Noon saloon – 7/16/25 – Madison, WI
©Crystal Buchberger
In a night that felt like a fever dream for emo and post-hardcore fans, Emery took the stage at Madison’s High Noon Saloon on July 16th and delivered a performance that was nothing short of electric. With support from Baltimore heartbreakers Have Mercy and the endlessly energetic Good Terms, the evening became a celebration of vulnerability, volume, and the enduring power of screaming your lungs out in a sweaty room with strangers.
Kicking off the night was Good Terms, the Los Angeles-based pop-punk band that’s been making noise for all the right reasons. Bursting onto the stage with contagious energy, the band played like they had something to prove – and they absolutely delivered.
Check out the Good Terms concert photo gallery below:
Their blend of bright melodies and post-hardcore punch had the early crowd bouncing, even if most didn’t know the words (yet). By the time they closed with “…Cough,” the audience was hooked, fists raised and already buzzing.
Next came Have Mercy, who turned the room from pop-punk house party to heartbreak chapel in seconds. Frontman Brian Swindle’s voice – equal parts gravel and gut-punch – cut through the noise with a haunting intimacy.
Check out the Have Mercy concert photo gallery below:
Set highlights like “Two Years” and the ever-devastating “Let’s Talk About Your Hair” had the crowd swaying in unified emotional exhaustion. Every line felt like it was being sung for someone in the room. You could feel it.
Then came the storm. Emery – celebrating the 20th anniversary of their album The Question – erupted onto the stage with the thunderous “So Cold I Could See My Breath.” From there, it was pure emotional chaos in the best way possible. Dual vocalists Toby Morrell and Devin Shelton wasted no time trading clean harmonies and throat-shredding screams with surgical precision. The crowd? Unhinged. Walls of sound. Hands in the air. Lyrics shouted back like sacred scripture.
Check out the Emery concert photo gallery below:
From post-hardcore anthems like “Studying Politics” and “Playing With Fire” to a heart-wrenching acoustic rendition of “The Weakest,” Emery showed every shade of what has made them an enduring force in the scene. The connection in the room was undeniable. This wasn’t just a tour stop – it was a reunion of souls bound by breakdowns and brutal honesty. They closed the night with the raw and explosive “Walls,” turning the floor into a mass of motion and noise, every scream from the stage echoed by a sea of open mouths and clenched fists.
What unfolded at High Noon Saloon wasn’t just a concert – it was a war cry for every kid who grew up on Tooth & Nail Records, screaming into the dark, hoping someone heard them. On July 16th, Emery made damn sure we were heard.
