Silverstein brings 25 Years of Noise to Indianapolis

Silverstein took a trip down memory lane at Old National Centre in Indianapolis last Monday on their “25 Years of Noise” tour celebrating the journey of the band over the years. Split Chain, Arm’s Length, and Thursday came along for the ride on this tour as well, all receiving an exciting reception from the crowd – whether they had known the bands before or not.

Visiting all the way from across the pond in Bristol, England, Split Chain started off the night. Self-declared as a “nu-gaze” band with early 2000s MTV emo and grunge influences, I have to say they’ve written their own description well. Their mixture of heavy guitars backing up smooth but powerful vocals blended well, and it was interesting to hear how the music progressed as those vocals intensified. If I had to choose one song from the setlist that stuck out to me, it would be “Fade” due to its interesting opening of a voicemail message before pivoting into a long, loud guitar moment.

Bringing high energy and excitement to the stage was Arm’s Length, an emo pop-punk band from rural Ontario, Canada. The energy wasn’t only found in their stage presence, but evident in their music as well with busy guitars, loud drums, and a strong bass presence – even in a song with calmer moments like their recently released single “Funny Face“. The energy from the stage carried into the crowd, with vocalist Allen Steinberg successfully getting a circle pit to form. The band also took a moment to reflect on the fact it had been two years since their debut album, with a second on the way very soon.

In contrast to the up and coming bands opening for tour, Thursday came as a much more familiar name on the lineup. While the band has broken up and reunited a couple of times over the past decade, their new single releases last year and upcoming tour dates throughout 2025 show they’re planning on sticking around for a while longer. The passage of time has had no effect on Geoff Rickly’s energy on stage – jumping, climbing up risers and gear, and running around on stage for the entire set. Rickly commented on the vibe of the venue as well, saying it felt like a “real DIY show” and thanking Silverstein for putting together “a hell of a lineup from top to bottom.” The setlist was filled with familiar songs from songs that were still “a bit new,” which, according to Rickly, were songs about 20 years old to “something a bit older, like 25.”

Silverstein set the theme for their set right off the bat, starting with a home-movie style recap of the band over the past 25 years played on large screens covering the back of the stage. The video recounted how no one thought they would be the band to make it, but they just kept going and putting on more shows. They mentioned how over time something special had happened: the fans all showed up for them – and kept showing up – making friends at shows and bringing friends along with them to witness the band as it grew. The setlist worked backwards through their discography, starting with the new and ending the night on some of the oldest. The screens continued to tell stories throughout, with special clips played during water breaks and a variety of visuals during songs which I thought really helped to set the theme that we were on a journey with the band.

The crowd had already been high in energy all night, but vocalist Shane Told’s call for the “Monday night special” circle pit only raised it more as a decently large pit began to form. The band mirrored the crowd’s energy as well, seeming to have tons of fun as they were running up and down the stage risers and playing into each others’ faces. Crowdsurfing also picked up during Silverstein’s set, earning a security guard by the name of Josh a special shoutout for how fast he ran to make sure no one hit the ground. Everyone in the room by the name of Josh was subsequently given a shoutout, as it was also guitarist Josh Bradford’s birthday that night as well.

While the band may be celebrating 25 years, they certainly have no plans of slowing down anytime soon. In fact, the first half of their upcoming double LP “Antibloom / Pink Moon” is set to release on the 21st of February. The prolific double album is said to be their most eclectic work to date, blending together their classic sound with their pop-punk and hardcore influences. It’s an album you won’t want to miss out on – so be sure to pre-save the album, and check out the tracks that have been released so far.