Pop Break Live: Boys Like Girls, ‘Soundtrack of Your Life’ Tour at The Met in Philly on Thursday April 9, 2026
Pop-Punk band Boys Like Girls brought their Soundtrack of Your Life Tour to The Met in Philly on April 9th. The band is celebrating the 20th Anniversary of their self-titled seminal debut album and the 17th Anniversary for their album Love Drunk by playing both albums front to back. The band brought a a huge nostalgic wave to this historic venue.
The stage set up featured a cool colorful retro-inspired look that had a huge wall of stacked CRT televisions which was inspired by the 90’s.The venue was packed. You could really feel the energy in the room and it was intense. They got the fog machine going and no doubt the fans were counting the seconds until the guys came out onto the hazy stage. When they did the place erupted. They opened with one of their most popular anthemic songs, “Love Drunk”, which normally would be an encore song. It was wild. Right off the bat there were hands in the air and loud singing. The vibe at the Met was incredible. The crowd was absolutely joyous and danced and swayed along during the night.
With their full-album approach, Boys Like Girls brought some rarities to the fans that had only been heard on their records and never played live. The band balanced high-tempo anthems and popular ballads. The bands interaction with the crowd was a powerful blend of nostalgia and high octane energy. The camaraderie amongst the crowd was extremely apparent even before the show even started. This band shaped the mid 2000’s and their live shows attract a mix of millennials and older Gen Z fans who grew up with this music. It created an atmosphere that felt like a cool high school reunion. They played some of their biggest hits and fan favorites like ”The Great Escape”, “Two is Better Than One”, “Heart Heart Heartbreak” and “Hero/Heroine” There were a few stunners which included “Thunder”, On Top of The World” and “Five Minutes to Midnight”
Frontman Martin Johnson was just dripping in charisma and he and the band had a great connection with the crowd. They really engaged with the audience. Drummer John Keefe brought the raw energetic foundation that helped define the bands sound. Guitarist Greg James balanced the pop-rock anthems with his energetic bass lines. It was fun watching guitarist Jamel Hawke run around on the stage all night with his energetic style of play. Both guitarists provided vocals and their harmonizing was spot on! It sounded just like their records. The bands prowess was a masterclass as they brought the energy all night long. Playing both albums in their entirety created an absolutely epic iconic memorable show that the fans in attendance will talk about for years.
Setlist (via setlist.fm)
Love Drunk
Heart Heart Heartbreak
Love Drunk
She’s Got a Boyfriend Now
Two Is Better Than One
Contagious
Real Thing
Someone Like You
The Shot Heard ‘Round the World
The First One
Chemicals Collide
Go
BOYS LIKE GIRLS
The Great Escape
Five Minutes to Midnight
Hero/Heroine
On Top of the World
Thunder
Me, You and My Medication
Up Against the Wall
Dance Hall Drug
Learning to Fall
Heels Over Head
