The Story So Far: What You Really Missed on Election Night

Blake Burton

Music Journalist

On Tuesday, November 3rd, I made the trip down to San Antonio to catch The Story So Far on their only Texas stop of the tour. This was also my first time attending a show at the historic Aztec Theatre, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, the Aztec Theatre is truly one of a kind. The concert hall is absolutely beautiful. With traditional Aztec inspired artwork and possibly one of the largest chandeliers that I have ever seen, it was an absolute experience seeing a show here.The architecture and history alone make it worth visiting, but experiencing a live show inside the theater made it even more special.  

Starting out the night at the Aztec, Ultra Q opened up the show. At first, I thought I was listening to a post rock or alternative version of Green Day. Later, I found out I actually might have been! The band is fronted by Jakob Armstrong, son of Green Day’s front man, Billie Joe Armstrong. I really enjoyed this band. Ultra Q is definitely someone to check out. On the drive home, I really liked their record “Empty Eddy” which pulls from a lot of different styles with fuzzed out guitars, a heavy right foot on the drum kit, and a voice that sounds unmistakable for one we grew up with.  

The band that performed after Ultra Q was a major throwback to the early 2000’s pop punk scene. The Starting Line had a great show and played every second of their set. I don’t think they stopped once. Their set was full of energy. Although I wasn’t too familiar with their music, I have enjoyed their newest record which was produced by the legendary Will Yip. “Eternal Youth” from 2025 does not disappoint! 

The Story So Far is one of the many bands that I have an extremely strong connection to. If you were to ask me what my top 10 records of all time are, “Under Soil and Dirt” and “What You Don’t See” will be on that list. Parker Cannon’s vocals have just the right amount of emo and hits the hardest in the genre for me. Will Levy and Kevin Geyer have made some nostalgic riffs that I haven’t heard duplicated by any other band. When the band started their set, Parker had hinted that he needed help singing due to a cold, and he didn’t need to ask twice. I think the house had to bump up his vocals due to how loud the crowd was. The Story So Far brought a sense of energy in the most casual way. No walk up song, no crazy graphics, they simply went on stage and started off playing “Keep This Up” and kept the show going.  

Parker Cannon’s stage presence is one of the most iconic in the genre. There was a whole lot of standing and pointing as one could expect. In case you didn’t know his other band, No Pressure, he is way more interactive and emotive. In The Story So Far however, he has a “Liam Gallagher” approach and doesn’t stay too far away from the mic stand and might make a few laps around the stage. If you put Parker Cannon and Liam Gallagher of Oasis performing side by side, you could assume that they’re related.  

One thing that did surprise me was the lack of crowd surfing. I anticipated more at this show. I think due to the logistics of the venue, it is a little more difficult to do so, however that didn’t mean that people weren’t moving. For tracks like “Roam” and “Proper Dose”, everyone was on their feet, even on the balcony. I had to do my best to take photos while screaming all the lyrics of their entire set. The Story So Far closed out with their acoustic hit, “Clairvoyant.” Typically they come out and do an encore and play “Quicksand” which I was really looking forward to. I tried hard, real hard, not to lose my temper. (Sorry for the Quicksand reference). It was definitely a different experience seeing a band like that end on such a soft note, however I’m not mad about it. I can’t wait to see them next time they come around. Be sure to check out their most recent release “I Want To Disappear” as it’s one of the most intricate and unique albums they have done yet. Hopefully there’s more to come in the near future! 

All photos taken by Blake Burton.