Moneen's Emo Revival: Toronto celebrates 20 years of Moneen and Sparta with Special Guest Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional

As the rest of Ontario gets hit with November snow, Toronto passed on the flurries and settled for a subtle chill last night. Despite the cold, the almost sold-out show had fans lining up outside to get in early to see Moneen celebrate 20 years of their seminal album 'Are We Really Happy with Who We Are Right Now?' alongside Sparta, who also is celebrating 20 years of their debut 'Wiretap Scars.' Fans were also eager to see who Moneen enlisted as their guest opener (if social didn't let that cat out of the bag already, it was Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional).

As fans piled into the venue, most darted over to the merch table to cop some limited edition goods (a sweet screen printed poster was up for grabs designed and printed in Welland by Quite Alright & Presstime). As fans awaited their merch and the rest flocking to the stage, the lights shone bright blue, matching the crisp, almost winter air outside with past emo and post-hardcore songs blaring in the venue's speakers, getting fans hyped for what was to come.

As Glassjaw faded out, Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba walked out from the side stage with a warm welcome, wearing a Moneen long-sleeve and a smile. He played some DC classics in honour of the night and confirmed to a fan yelling out that, no, in fact, he doesn't have merch for sale, he's here as a fan, not to sell shit, and it was evident as he expressed his love on stage for Moneen and post-hardcore main stays Sparta. My favourite moment from the set was Carrabba's stripped-back version of fan favourite "Screaming Infidelity"—a true classic.

After a quick pit stop at the merch table myself (I couldn't leave without a tee), it was time for El Paso's Sparta (who formed after the break up of the one, the only, At The Drive-in). As soon as they hit the stage, the energy in the building surged. With a single nonchalant head nod from frontman Jim Ward, they kicked their set off into high gear. Banger after banger, the band was relentless in their approach. There was no mid-set banter, just pure distortion, blasts of light and groovy bass lines (Matt Miller was in a world of his own producing levitating-worthy bass grooves). They played the album, hit the last note, said thank you, and walked off stage. It was an abrupt end. I wish they stuck around to play a few more tracks like "Guns Of Memorial Park" or "While Oceana Sleeps," but I can't complain because hearing "Air" of 'Wiretap Scars' was pure bliss for me.

And then there was Moneen. If I thought Sparta didn't let up, Moneen set fire to the stage (hypothetically, of course) and blasted through their first three songs in what felt like seconds. Kenny Bridges commanded the stage with his fiery screams, mid-riffage jump kicks and endearing giddiness. But it wasn't all Kenny; guitarist Chris "Hippy" Hughes and his trademark dreadlocks were just as chaotic (in all the right ways) as he amassed a wall of sound piercing through pulsating lights.

Moneen felt like seasoned vets who hadn't missed a beat as they played 'Are We Really Happy With Who We Are Right Now?' front to back with ease and swagger. But the night didn't stop there. The band came out for an encore with Bridges expressing that he "didn't want the night to end" and continued to play through fan favourite tracks, including "Don't Ever Tell Locke What He Can't Do" from their 2006 release 'Red Tree,' a Dashboard Confessional cover of "Hands Down" with Chris Carrabba, and "Tonight I'm Gone..." and "The Passing of America" from 2001's 'The Theory Of Harmonial Value As Told by Dr. Lozlo Pronowski.' The encore was a vibe. The audience went wild as Bridges climbed his way into the crowd. Die-hard fans held him up by his knees, singing with glowing giant text behind him that read "Moneen Loves You."

If you're a fan of Moneen, then you know just how good this show was. It was nostalgic with a shot of adrenaline and left me wanting more. Full stop. We love you too, Moneen.

Relive the night in the photos below with photo galleries from each artist.