What do you get when a swarm of all-ages emo kids and their favorite bands meet up in the middle of the sea? The Emo’s Not Dead Cruise, a maritime good time powered by nostalgia and nautical escapades. The second edition of this music festival sailed from February 26th in Miami through March 1st in great Stirrup Cay, a gorgeous island in the Bahamas. And it was as emotional and adventure-driven as you’d expect.
Headlined by Yellowcard, Mayday Parade, Story Of The Year, August Burns Red, Senses Fail, The Devil Wears Prada, and more, it was like a mini-Warped Tour. Sunshine, emo anthems, and shirtless men all included. There was much to document during this epic five-day sail made for the forever emo, and these are just five of our favorite things about the Emo’s Not Dead Cruise:
A mix of subgenres to sing along to
Whether you were in the mood to sing, scream, or get serenaded, all types of alternative music lovers were catered to on the Emo’s Not Dead cruise. Pop-punk lovers got to echo the joys of leaving their hometown with the likes of Yellowcard and Mayday Parade, while others were soothed to the acoustic sounds of Secondhand Serenade.
Post-hardcore kids were pumping their fists to The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Armor For Sleep, and Story Of The Year. And finally, we can’t forget about the Metalcore mavens who revived their youth to Underoath, August Burns Red, and blessthefall! The mosh pits were alive and equally chaotic during performances of Mayday Parade’s “Jamie All Over,” Underoath’s “Writing On the Wall” and more, and it was the most welcoming environment for all types of elder emos.
Yellowcard’s entire set
It’s no secret that 2023 was the year of Yellowcard, with the group making a splash at When We Were Young and embarking on their much-anticipated Ocean Avenue 20th anniversary tour. But while we’re now a few months into 2024, Ryan Key and Co. continued to prove that they’re still on a roll. Would it really be a tropical vacation without the Florida-born pop-punk icons?
During their performances on the Emo’s Not Dead cruise, the band worked through a 15-song setlist with all your favorite classic Yellowcard songs. These include “Breathing,” “Fighting,” “Always Summer,” “Only One,” and of course,” “Ocean Avenue.” And since (what seemed like) the entire ship showed up to watch them, there was no shortage of energy and epic singalongs from start to finish.
While Yellowcard hasn’t released an album in nearly a decade, it didn’t matter to the crowd of nostalgia-seekers who were just there to sing along to their teenage favorites. If you loved listening to “Always Summer” and “Light Up The Sky” with the top down as a kid, just imagine how much better it felt with the wind blowing through your hair on a cruise ship! Yellowcard provided carefree vibes and killer jump-alongs in between heavier bands, solidifying their spot as emo royalty even further.
Emo mashups for the ages
Even if your personal favorite band wasn’t present on the Emo’s Not Dead cruise, what if we told you that they were in spirit? Two of your favorites performed the ultimate emo/metal song mashups that made the whole crowd scream, cry, and repeat. And it was a beautiful reminder that your favorite emo groups are, first and foremost, fans just like you.
First, Senses Fail worked through their original tracks on February 29th before launching into a four-song-cover encore, which was as metal as it gets. Buddy Nielsen belted his way through “Chop Suey” by System Of A Down,” Disturbed’s “Down With the Sickness,” “Break Rage” by Limp Bizkit and Rage Against The Machine’s “Bull’s On Parade.” And it was all without breaking a sweat or losing his emo edge…how cool is that?
And then there’s Story of The Year, who took a less metal and more emo approach to their song covers. Who can forget their lively mashup of “Ocean Avenue,” a tribute to their friends and tourmates, Yellowcard? Especially when it was paired with classics like Taking Back Sunday’s “Cute Without The ‘E’,” My Chemical Romance’s “I’m Not Okay (I Promise),” and “The Taste of Ink” by The Used? This was a monumental moment for all the millennials in the crowd, and we’re just happy that it was captured on camera for the future generation of emo.
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An interactive and underrated emo revival
Emo’s Not Dead is the newest alternative musical event that’s come to fruition in the past few years, joining When We Were Young, Shiprocked, and Sad Summer Fest. It’s right there in the name, guys…the emo revival is very much alive and never truly went anywhere! But what makes this event so special? It’s a mix of vacation and music festival that has you hanging out on the deck with your childhood heroes — seeing them at the dinner table one night before screaming along with them onstage the next.
You’ll feel just as much of a rush watching them in your 20s, 30s, or 40s as you did at Warped Tour a decade ago — stemming from nostalgia, adrenaline and quite possibly the fruity drink in your hand. The interactivity, emotions, and positive vibes that come from the Emo’s Not Dead cruise are unmatched. And while the 2024 edition was only its second year, we have no doubt that this will become a yearly tradition for elder emo kids everywhere.
Until Next Year, Emo’s Not Dead Cruise
From the moment that the inaugural Emo’s Not Dead Cruise was announced in 2022, featuring Dashboard Confessional, New Found Glory, Plain White T’s, and 20+ more, we knew it wouldn’t disappoint. And two years later, the event just seems to be getting better! While we anxiously await the 2025 lineup, you can relive every last moment from your emo past, present, and future with the Emo’s Not Dead setlists.
