Boys Like Girls bring The Soundtrack to Your Life to Omaha

On March 22nd, elder emos gathered at Steelhouse Omaha for Boys Like Girls’ Soundtrack To Your Life Tour. With support from I Dont Know How but They Found Me (iDKHOW for short) and Arrows in Action, the night was a celebration of an expansive 20-year career for Boys Like Girls, featuring their first two records in their entirety. Despite aching knees and bodies that just don’t move the way they used to, fans were ready to stay up late on a Sunday night to revisit the anthems of their youth as if it were still 2006.

Arrows in Action kicked off the night with undeniable energy.

There were jump-worthy basslines and sing-along choruses; the crowd couldn’t help but move. Although they were seemingly the youngest band on the tour, fans against the barricade were screaming every word just the same. The band even threw in their own homage to nostalgic songs by incorporating lyrics from the High School Musical hit “Break Free” into the bridge of their song “Over It”. 

In the spirit of celebrating the pop rock superstars Boys Like Girls, lead singer Victor Viramontes-Pattison expressed his own excitement for being on the tour with a personal anecdote about how the song “The Great Escape” was the first song he ever bought on iTunes. By the time they left the stage, the crowd was thoroughly warmed up.

iDKHOW followed, delivering another high-impact set.

Frontman and emo icon Dallon Weekes brings charisma and theatrical flair to the stage, with a setlist this night balancing newer tracks from Gloom Division with older hits like “Choke” and “Do It All The Time”.

Before we knew it, it was time for Boys Like Girls to take the stage and conduct the crowd on a 120-minute emotional rollercoaster (in the best way possible), starting off with their 2009 album Love Drunk. When technical difficulties rendered the in-ear monitors useless during the first handful of songs, lead singer Martin Johnson joked that fans were getting a once-in-a-lifetime show, since he could not hear his notes. For five minutes or so while the crew sorted out the tech issues, fans got to hear personal stories and humorous ramblings that they would not have had the pleasure of hearing had Johnson not been tasked with filling the time.

The band closed the first half of their set with the deep cut “Go”.

The song is a rare addition to their live set as, prior to this tour, it had not been performed live since 2012. Long-time fans could easily be spotted wiping away tears and belting every word. During the intermission, fans stood in bathroom and beer lines, trading stories related to the album; stories of nights out with their college friends and first dances at weddings to “Two Is Better Than One”.

When Boys Like Girls returned to the stage, it was time for their debut and self-titled album from 2006. The energy picked up immediately where it left off with their most popular (and, arguably, most influential) song and opening track on the album “The Great Escape”, followed by radio hits “Hero/Heroine” and “Thunder”.

Right before going into their customary closing of performing “Love Drunk” and “The Great Escape” again (although, this time, with no phones as if it were 2009, per the request of the band), Johnson told the crowd, “I don’t care if it was one song you heard on the radio that was part of the soundtrack of your life or a whole record, …”

“…thank you for being here and sharing this with us.”

The Boys Like Girls members came out to the edge of the stage to pass out setlists, guitar picks, and broken drumsticks while Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” boomed as their goodbye. The atmosphere in the room throughout the entire night was one that performers dream of creating at their shows: fans were elated, singing loudly to their hearts content, and dancing with strangers as if they had been lifelong friends. This night was one that lived up to the name; it was a night dedicated to the songs that were The Soundtrack to Your Life.

Photography by Jayme Bigger

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