Farewell, mewithoutYou: Scenes from the Philly post-hardcore faves’ final show

After 20 years, seven albums, and innumerable miles logged on the road, Philadelphia experimental rock band mewithoutYou has reached the end of their collective road. Their final show on Saturday, May 20th, offered a 32-song, career spanning setlist, touching on all of their studio albums — from the propulsive post-hardcore of Catch For Us The Foxes to the moody indie folk of It’s All Crazy! It’s All False! It’s All A Dream! It’s Allright to the dazzling rock atmospheres of their final [Untitled] LP.

With “Farewell” and “Better Luck Next Time” projected behind the stage, plants lining the front of the stage, and balloons and lights set off for the encore, the scene was set for a memorable and high-energy gig for the massive crowd of fans in attendance.

Along with the concert came an outpouring of love and appreciation on social media. Hayley Williams posted on Instagram that “No band ever mattered more to me than mewithoutYou. I mean, Paramore, yeah… But what good is one glove without the other?” Poetic hardcore outfit La Dispute Tweeted that “Might never have been a band without mewithoutYou, at least not this band. Resisted the comparison for ages but it’s the truth. Incredible band, incredible people. We owe a debt, all of us.” And singer-songwriter Julien Baker — who was in town after playing the Wild Hearts Tour Friday night — Tweeted a request for “My Exit” (which, bummer, didn’t make the setlist).

Podcaster Mason Mennenga shared a much-retweeted appreciation of the band and their one-of-a-kind nature.

Today is the last day of mewithoutYou, one of my favorite bands ever.

There’s a reason why so many of their fans are queer and socialist.

There will never be a Christian, dumpster-diving, vegetable-oil-running-bus band ever again.

I’m so grateful for them. pic.twitter.com/Iza5iYSKHV

— Mason Mennenga (@masonmennenga) August 20, 2022

Philly-rooted artist Dominic Angelella — currently the bassist in Lucy Dacus’ band, but with a deep history in various projects around Philly — wrote a piece for the Talkhouse remembering his time playing bass in mewithoutYou and talking about how it shaped him as a musician and changed the course of his life.

It’s difficult for me to think of a group of musicians that have changed my life more than @mewithoutYou. In advance of their final ‘Farewell’ shows, I wrote about my adventures with them for @Talkhouse: https://t.co/5kLsV59dtU

— dominic angelella (@drgnkingDOM) August 18, 2022

Matt Scottoline of Philadelphia’s Hurry shared reflections of the impact mewithoutYou made when he saw them play the first DIY show he ever attended as a seventh grade kid, along with video from the Fillmore concert.

i told this story basically every night we toured with @mewithoutYou but i’ll say it again as i eulogize them: their first show was the first diy show i ever attended (i was in like 7th grade). they totally blew my mind, and i probably saw them 20 times before i even graduated hs https://t.co/Uc0PWP89y0

— Matt Scottoline (@hurryband) August 21, 2022

The show even got memed (in a good way) when Twitter user Jeremy Anderson put a festival girl spin on their album Ten Stories.

THEIR NEXT ALBUM WAS ABOUT A CIRCUS TRAIN CRASHING. ALL THE ANIMALS ESCAPE. AN OWL FALLS IN LOVE WITH A DEPRESSED WALRUS. IT ENDS WITH A BEAR JUMPING OFF A CLIFF SO THE FOX CAN EAT BUT IT TURNS OUT THE FOX HAD A VISION EARLIER. ANYWAYS THEIR LAST SHOW IS THE WEEK @mewithoutYoupic.twitter.com/vBUMj2Yf2H

— Jeremy Anderson (@JudEzra3) August 18, 2022

And Philly’s Connor Feimster, who works behind the scenes on numerous national tours that spring out of our city, captured a glorious 30 seconds of the finale on Twitter with an apropos caption that was repeated around the fan base: mewithoutYou forever.

Below, check out a full gallery of scenes from mewithoutYou’s farewell concert, beginning with opener David Eugene Edwards.