February 4, 2026: Motion City Soundtrack perform at Roadrunner. Photo by Wendy Schiller

There’s a lot going on these days, and the sun still sets before 5:00PM! It’s enough to give one pause about a gig where the final band doesn’t start until 10:35. But, Motion City Soundtrack and Say Anything hit Roadrunner this week on their co-headlining tour, and elder millennials and youths alike turned out in droves. Surprising? Not at all, because screaming along to both bands never gets old even if we must. Say Anything fronter Max Bemis did his best to be gracious to voracious fans in the front row, while playing hits like “Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too” and “Every Man has A Molly.” Suffice to say, songs we love inevitably change with time, so “Alive with the Glory of Love,” the holocaust tribute to the singer’s grandparents, hit a little different in 2026. Bemis acknowledged this, less so by his words than by his shy and muted demeanor throughout the set. He thanked fans for showing out and caring for each other at nearly every song break.

The vibes continued with Motion City Soundtrack exploding onto the stage for their set, playing many new tracks from their latest album The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World including “She is Afraid” and “You Know Who the Fuck We Are.” The band sounded as good and crisp as ever, with lead guitarist Joshua Cain and keyboardist Jesse Johnson dancing at a fever pitch through every track. After playing cathartic hits like “Attractive Today”, “L.G.FUAD”, and “Even if it Kills Me,” Motion City Soundtrack’s Justin Pierre closed by saying the quiet part out loud: making an impassioned speech about ICE’s presence in his homebase of Minneapolis. 

Beloved Chicago band Sincere Engineer supported, with Justin bringing out lead singer Deanna Belos to do her solo on “Things Like This” during their set. 

Check out Wendy’s photo from the show below.