Forget the local bar: Chiodos bring a Thanksgiving-eve reunion to Oakdale Theatre
The night before Thanksgiving is usually spent shoulder-to-shoulder in your hometown bar, dodging people you haven’t spoken to since graduation. It’s that annual ritual of half-hearted small talk, one too many shots, and the looming possibility of running into your ex.
But in Wallingford, people traded barstools for barricades inside The Dome at the Oakdale Theatre. A noticeably lighter pre-holiday crowd still managed to bring together a balanced mix of fans from the metalcore, pop-punk, and hardcore scenes for a lineup headlined by Chiodos and supported by Hawthorne Heights, Emmure, and Big Ass Trucks.
BIG ASS TRUCKS
The California hardcore outfit Big Ass Trucks has been gaining ground fast this year. Some fans may have caught them on the Orlando livestream of Warped Tour — a spot not just handed out to anyone. They carried the momentum of that exposure into this run with Chiodos. Pairing with legacy bands opens them up to an entire room of listeners they might not have reached on their own. A wise move, especially when streaming algorithms can be so unpredictable — and not always in a band’s favor.
EMMURE
Emmure’s set was built on darkness. Deep shadows with blinding strobes, bringing a heaviness and harshness to their set. Sometimes behind the camera, the details of each set can be blurry, but it is the feeling of each set that always sticks with me.
In this lineup, Emmure was a well-planned pressure point: a heavy set that forces the crowd to brace themselves, only to be followed with a band that serves a melodic and pace reset. And it landed, the pit came alive, which made the shift to Hawthorne Heights more dramatic.
HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS
Hawthorne Heights was the night’s emotional recalibration. I have always had a soft spot for emo and pop-punk. The genre has carried me through chapters where I needed to be present in my feelings. And on the eve of a holiday that can be complicated for a lot of us with messy family dynamics, their set absolutely landed.
Midway through, frontman JT Woodruff paused to talk about mental health. He mentioned being a child of divorce, about learning unconditional love as an adult, and about the work it takes to break the toxic cycles we inherit from our parents. He closed the moment by saying, “I offer my broken heart to you,” and the band dropped into the next song. And, of course, they closed with “Ohio Is for Lovers,” a moment that sent the room into its loudest sing-along of the night.
CHIODOS
The Chiodos set began with a hooded figure crossing the stage, swinging a censer, the smoke rising in curls and spirals that almost resembled the sweeping C of the Chiodos logo — as if the band were being summoned to the room. Then frontman Craig Owens stepped out in head-to-toe white and the ritual deepend, almost like a spirit called forward to the masses.
As theatrical as the entrance was, the their post-hardcore sound grounded everything. Owens didn’t need much crowd work between songs to hold the room. Some frontmen command attention with their charisma; others their sheer presence and tonight, Owens was the latter. His command of the room reminded me of Anthony Green (LS Dunes/Circa Survive) and George Clarke (Deafheaven).
I also noted that instead of taking the easy route with tracked piano and keyboard layers for tour, Mitch Rogers played those parts live, giving their whole set a bit more depth. And that’s what stuck with me after Chiodos exited the stage. The difference between bands who are just ‘good’ and bands who become lasting acts in their genre almost always comes down to one thing… intention.
And for a band celebrating their 20th anniversary, that intention was everywhere: from the ritualistic opening to Owens’ command of the room, to the band ending their nearly decade-long hiatus to bring the All’s Well That Ends Well tour to life. Honestly, this Chiodos’ reunion beat the hell out of that cursed hometown Thanksgiving eve gathering at the local bar.
chiodos SET LIST
The Dome at Toyota Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford, Connecticut (11/24/2025)
Prelude
All Nereids Beware
One Day Women Will All Become Monsters
There’s No Penguins in Alaska
Expired in Goreville
No Hardcore Dancing in the Living Room
We’re Gonna Have Us a Champagne Jam
To Trixie and Reptile, Thanks for Everything
The Words "Best Friend" Become Redefined
The Undertaker’s Thirst for Revenge Is Unquenchable (The Final Battle)
Two Birds Stoned at Once
Bulls Make Money, Bears Make Money, Pigs Get Slaughtered
Baby, You Wouldn’t Last a Minute on the Creek
