Pop Break Live: Turnstile “The Turnstile Love Connection Tour” at The Fillmore in Philadelphia, PA – May 24, 2022
It is the year 2022, and I am ashamed to admit I’ve only recently discovered Turnstile, the five-piece hardcore punk band from Baltimore, Maryland, a few months ago. But after careful consideration, I now not only consider them one of my favorite bands, but maybe one of the best live bands touring today.
How did I come to this conclusion? Well, first off, I heard “Mystery,” their bombastic lead single from their third studio album, Glow On, that was released in the summer of 2021. After hearing all of Glow On, I instantly fell in love with both the record and the band. I’ve dabbled with listening to hardcore music, but never fully committed to any particular band or album before Turnstile. Maybe it was the fact I heard “Mystery” on SiriusXMU, which features groundbreaking music and emerging artists (for which, I can tell you, they are both), or maybe it’s the fact they don’t sound like any hardcore band I’ve ever heard before – but Turnstile felt different for me. Glow On has all the staples of a hardcore record: loud guitars, quick tracks, and lyrics that are easy (and fun!) to scream at the top of your lungs. But it’s also a deep, complex, and atmospheric record that requires and demands repeat listens. So when the opportunity to see a band that has made such an impact on me in such a short time arose, I jumped at the chance to head down to Philly to see the quintet at my favorite venue on the east coast, The Fillmore Philadelphia.
As expected, the show was sold out, the venue was packed, and fans piled in for a true hardcore show filled with a huge lineup of artists – including Ohio’s own Citizen. When it came time for Turnstile to take the stage, you could feel the electricity in the air. After a truly terrible week in our country, you could tell that the crowd was ready to escape and lose themselves in 50 minutes of non-stop music, and the boys from Baltimore did not disappoint.
After warming up the crowd by blasting Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” through the sound system, they jumped right into “Mystery,” which instantly prompted crowd surfers hurling themselves into a pit in the crowd.
The band played an incredibly fast but extensive 19-track setlist, which included 11 tracks from Glow On and past album favorites like “Real Thing” and “Fazed Out.”
It was truly one of the best live music experiences I’ve ever been a part of, and after what happened in Texas earlier in the day, it was very much needed.
