Anniversary tours have become a major part of today’s concert scene, but sometimes the right lineup comes together and creates something that feels bigger than simple nostalgia. That was the case on May 28, 2026, when Anberlin, Emery, and Watashi Wa stopped at The Senate in Columbia, South Carolina.
I attended the show with Joshua Gilmore, Joshua Thomas, Joey Noyes, and my son Max, which made the night even more memorable. Concerts are always about the music, but they are also tied to the people you experience them with and the memories attached to them years later.
Watashi Wa opened the evening and immediately reminded fans why their return matters. This was the band’s first tour in a long time, and there was a noticeable excitement from the crowd to see them active again. Fans sang along throughout the set, showing that the band’s music has continued to connect with listeners even during their long absence from touring. The performance carried a positive and heartfelt energy that set the tone for the rest of the night.
Emery followed with a shorter but high-energy set that quickly turned the venue into controlled chaos. The band has always balanced melody and aggression well, and that chemistry was on full display live. Their closing song, “Walls,” became one of the biggest moments of the night. The crowd instantly erupted into a massive mosh pit, creating more pit action during that one song than the entire rest of the concert combined. Fans screamed every word while bodies collided across the floor in classic post-hardcore fashion.
The night closed with Anberlin performing on the twentieth anniversary tour for Never Take Friendship Personal. Surprisingly, this was my first time ever seeing the band live, and they did not disappoint. Much of the attention surrounding the current version of Anberlin has centered around Matty Mullins taking over vocal duties, and after seeing the performance firsthand, it is easy to understand why he was chosen.
Mullins faces the difficult task of stepping into a role strongly associated with Stephen Christian, but he handled it extremely well. What stood out most was his vocal versatility. He has the range necessary for the melodic and harmonized style of Anberlin while still maintaining the intensity fans know from his work with Memphis May Fire. Rather than feeling like a replacement trying to imitate the past, Mullins helped the performance feel both respectful to Anberlin’s history and fresh at the same time.
During the show, I also found myself reflecting on The Senate itself and how certain venues become connected to different seasons of life. This was the third memorable concert I can remember attending there. The first was Stretch Arm Strong performing the twentieth anniversary tour for Rituals of Life. The second was P.O.D.’s twentieth anniversary tour for Satellite. Now this Anberlin anniversary tour joins that list. It is interesting how venues can quietly become part of your personal music history over time.
Overall, this was an outstanding night of live music filled with nostalgia, energy, and appreciation from both the bands and the audience. Watashi Wa’s long-awaited return, Emery’s explosive ending with “Walls,” and Anberlin’s anniversary celebration all combined to create a concert experience that reminded fans why these bands still continue to matter decades later.
A Look Back at the Genre-Spanning Tours That Defined an Era
Introduction
The period from 1995 to 2005 was a transformative era for Christian rock and metal music. It was during this time that I became deeply immersed in the scene. My first concert was Ray Boltz, followed by Carman, which opened the door to bands like Audio Adrenaline, The O.C. Supertones, DC Talk, and many more. I discovered bands such as Living Sacrifice, P.O.D., Project 86, Gospel Gangstaz, and MxPx on VHS tapes (who remembers those?) at my youth group.
One of my all-time favorite memories is the 2001 “Your New Empire Tour” featuring Project 86, Stavesacre, and Living Sacrifice. Three of my favorite bands were in the same place, and the crowd was so into it and energetic.
Fueled by groundbreaking record labels such as Tooth & Nail Records and its heavier imprint Solid State Records, alongside stalwarts like Facedown, Fireproof, Intense, R.E.X., Metro One, Takehold, Strike First, Rescue, Ulterium, Blood and Ink, Bombworks, Soundmass, Endtime Productions, and Nordic Mission, this period witnessed an explosion of diverse subgenres: from thrash and doom to metalcore, hardcore, power metal, and alternative rock.
Chronological Tour Timeline with Record Labels and Supporting Acts (1995–2005)
1995
Cranial Captivity Tour Living Sacrifice (Solid State Records) / Lament (Independent) / Sacred Warrior (Intense Records) Supporting Acts: Deliverance, Vengeance Rising, Tourniquet, Believer, Holy Soldier, Crimson Thorn
1996
Regional Tour Focal Point (Independent) / Zao (Solid State Records) / Pensive (Independent) / Seasons in the Field (Independent)
The Black Sheep Tour Saviour Machine (Independent) / Sixpence None the Richer (R.E.X. Records) / The Prayer Chain (Independent) / Mortal (Intense Records) / Michael Knott (Independent)
1997
Tour with Malevolent Creation Living Sacrifice (Solid State Records)
Joint Tour Sacred Warrior (Intense Records) / Bride (Independent)
DIY Tour Zao (Solid State Records) / Underoath (Solid State Records) / Unearth (Independent) / Dead Poetic (Independent)
1998
Underdog Tour Audio Adrenaline (ForeFront Records)
Independent Tour P.O.D. (Rescue Records)
Regional Tour Living Sacrifice (Solid State Records) / Soul Embraced (Independent)
West Coast Tour Sacred Warrior (Intense Records) / Holy Soldier (Intense Records)
1999
Satellite Pre-Tour P.O.D. (Atlantic Records) / Korn (Mainstream) / Linkin Park (Mainstream) / Disturbed (Mainstream)
Joint Tour Zao (Solid State Records) / Shai Hulud (Mainstream) / Evergreen Terrace (Mainstream)
National Tour Crimson Thorn (Independent)
Solid State Mini-Tour Norma Jean (Solid State Records) / Living Sacrifice (Solid State Records)
Church Circuit Tour Spoken (Metro 1 Records)
2000
The Hammering Process Tour Living Sacrifice (Solid State Records)
Drawing Black Lines Tour Project 86 (Tooth & Nail Records)
Joint Tour Zao (Solid State Records) / Training for Utopia (Tooth & Nail Records)
Co-Headline Tour The Blamed (Tooth & Nail Records) / Left Out (Independent)
40 Days of Disaster Tour Underoath (Takehold Records) / Few Left Standing (Takehold Records) / Narcissus (Takehold Records) / Tantrum of the Muse (Takehold Records)
2001
Your New Empire Tour Project 86 (Tooth & Nail Records) / Stavesacre (Tooth & Nail Records) / Living Sacrifice (Solid State Records)
Co-Headline Tour Project 86 (Tooth & Nail Records) / Blindside (Tooth & Nail Records)
Bless the Martyr Tour Norma Jean (Solid State Records)
Again, For the First Time Tour Bleach (ForeFront Records)
Joint Tour Underoath (Solid State Records) / Tantrum of the Muse (Independent)
Hardcore Tour No Innocent Victim (Facedown Records) / xDISCIPLEx A.D. (Facedown Records)
2002
Conceived in Fire Tour Living Sacrifice (Solid State Records) / Extol (Solid State Records) / Becoming the Archetype (Solid State Records) Supporting Acts: Hatebreed, Throwdown
Warped Tour Dates Underoath (Solid State Records)
Split Tour Few Left Standing (Facedown Records) / xDISCIPLEx A.D. (Facedown Records)
Tour Circuit Rock & Roll Worship Circus (Vertical Records / INO Records)
2003
Early National Tour Demon Hunter (Solid State Records) Supporting: As I Lay Dying (Solid State Records)
Collide Tour Skillet (ForeFront Records)
Reunion Tour Mortal (Metro One Records) / Fold Zandura (Metro One Records)
Early Tours Anberlin (Tooth & Nail Records)
International Tour Extol (Solid State Records) / Antestor (Endtime Productions) / Mortification (Soundmass Records)
European Tour Seventh Avenue (Ulterium Records) / Narnia (Ulterium Records)
National Tour Disciple (Slain Records / INO Records)
2004
Extended Tour Living Sacrifice (Solid State Records) Supporting: Throwdown, Extol, The Showdown
Early Tour As I Lay Dying (Solid State Records)
They’re Only Chasing Safety Tour Underoath (Solid State Records) Supporting: Saosin
The Beautiful Letdown Tour Switchfoot (Sparrow Records)
Co-Headline Tour Project 86 (Tooth & Nail Records) / Disciple (Epic Records)
Brutality Mini-Tours Clear Convictions (Strike First Records) / War of Ages (Strike First Records)
Joint Tour Soul Embraced (Blood and Ink Records) / Bloodlined Calligraphy (Blood and Ink Records) / Nodes of Ranvier (Facedown Records)
Tour with Dead Poetic and Haste the Day Dead Poetic (Tooth & Nail Records) / Haste the Day (Solid State Records)
Tour with The Agony Scene Extol (Solid State Records) / The Agony Scene (Solid State Records)
2005
The Triptych Tour Demon Hunter (Solid State Records)
Scream the Prayer Tour Various Acts (Solid State Records / Facedown Records / Blood and Ink Records)
Early Tour The Devil Wears Prada (Solid State Records)
First National Tour Flyleaf (Octone Records)
Co-Headline Tour The Showdown (Solid State Records) / Demon Hunter (Solid State Records) / Living Sacrifice (Solid State Records)
Phenomenon Tour Thousand Foot Krutch (Tooth & Nail Records)
U.S. Tour Crimson Moonlight (Endtime Productions)
Waves Are Dancing Tour Holy Blood (Bombworks Records)
European Tour Dates Morgarten (Nordic Mission Records)
Anniversary Tour Bloodgood (Intense Records) / Whitecross (Intense Records)
Joint Tour Extol (Solid State Records) / Becoming the Archetype (Solid State Records) / Crimson Moonlight (Endtime Productions)
The Forsaken Tour Antestor (Endtime Productions)
First Tour Children 18:3 (Tooth & Nail Records)
Conclusion
This unforgettable decade left a permanent mark on Christian music history, spanning underground DIY shows to national record deals. During this time, I had the privilege of running the SC Rock for Life chapter, booking bands like Rock and Roll Worship Circus, Spoken, Disciple, Pillar, The Benjamin Gate, East West, Joy Electric, Luti-Kriss, Mars ILL, LA Symphony, and Eleventyseven. I also attended countless concerts and festivals, where I represented Rock for Life and deepened my love for the scene.
After booking shows, I started collecting physical media. I was thrilled to see so many cassette and CD albums finally released on vinyl. I am getting every one of them that I can. My passion continues through involvement with Christian Metal Group, Heaven’s Metal Magazine, and organizing networking events in entertainment.
What tours did I miss?
Let’s continue preserving the memory of this powerful season of Christian music together.
I can still hear the Echoes of the Spirit Still Dwell.
