It can be difficult for bands to constantly reinvent their live shows, especially when they have been in the game for several decades.
But that hasn’t been an issue for Plain White T’s. In fact, the forthcoming 20th anniversary of their smash hit “Hey There Delilah” has inspired frontman Tom Higgenson and his band to keep fans — both old and new — excited and engaged after nearly 30 years.
“I’m sure the fans appreciate that, especially the ones that have seen us a bunch in the past,” Higgenson said in a recent interview with MassLive. “And for ones that have never seen us, they’re going to be like, ‘Holy [expletive]. That was so fun.’”
Plain White T’s are currently on joint tour with We The Kings dubbed “The Delilah Vs. Juliet Tour.” The 21-show tour included a stop at Paradise Rock Club in Boston on Thursday night, Nov. 6. Presented by Emo Nite, the tour celebrates 2000s nostalgia with performances by two of the most popular rock bands to emerge from the decade.
Despite both bands knowing each other for years and playing one-off shows, this marks the first time the groups have toured together. The idea for the tour came about when Plain White T’s guitarist Tim Lopez ran into Travis Clark, lead singer for We The Kings. The two joked about having a show that pitted both of the group’s biggest songs — “Hey There Deliah” and “Check Yes, Juliet” — against each other.
“I think it started as just a passing kind of a joke. And then we realized, like, ‘Oh, that’s a great idea,’” Higgenson explained. “It’s kind of a really perfect package.”
Shows start with one of Emo Night’s DJs hyping up the crowd before We The Kings and Plain White T’s take the stage. Each band performs their set and then the other goes. Both have been switching off who closes at each show.
Higgenson said his band “handcrafted the show” by choosing “some songs that maybe people wouldn’t expect” to make it more exciting for everyone.
“We’re trying to make little moments throughout the set just to kind of shake it up for fans that have maybe seen the band before,” the singer said. “It’s a really fun set from us.”
Some of these moments include pulling a fan dressed as Dr. Suess’ the Lorax onto stage and hosting a Halloween costume contest. This all goes into the Plain White T’s goal of keeping fans on their toes 25 years after the band’s official debut.
“We’re having fun with it, man. Definitely just trying to make each show special and because obviously we’ve been touring forever and so it’s like, ‘OK what’s going to make this show different? Or what have we never done before that we can do now?’ You know, kind of thinking like that to just even step up our game after doing it so long,” Higgenson said.
Plain White T’s formed in Lombard, Illinois in 1997. After gaining an underground following in the Chicago area, the band released its debut album “Come On Over” in 2000. Plain White T’s made their major label debut with their sophomore album “Stop” in 2003, followed by “All That We Needed” in 2005.
“The Delilah Vs. Juliet Tour” comes as “Hey There Delilah” will turn 20 next year. While originally released as part of the band’s third album, “Hey There Delilah” topped the Billboard Hot 100 after the track was re-released as a single off the band’s third album, “Every Second Counts” in 2006. The song went on to receive platinum certification from the RIAA that same year and earn two Grammy nominations, including one for Song of the Year.
“Hey There Delilah” continues to prove itself as a staple of 2000s music to this day. The song recently surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify and has been used in more than 44,000 TikToks. This doesn’t even account for the countless parodies and other viral memes that Higgenson receives every few weeks. Similar to these fans, the musician and Plain White T’s have not gotten sick of their signature song.
“When you pick up a guitar and you start writing songs, it’s like that’s what you wish for. You hope that you can write something that connects with people and that people love and people want to sing along to. So honestly, no, it never really gets old,” he said.
“We have obviously a few other big hits, but nothing as big as ‘Delilah.’ It’s like you kind of wish every song had that reaction and every song connected at that level, but like I said, I’m just super grateful that we have one huge one and then a few more that really did connect in a big way,” the frontman continued. “We’re lucky to be where we’re at and we love that people are still listening. It’s awesome.”
Higgenson also just released a hyperpop-EDM remix of “Hey There Delilah” under his solo project, Million Miler, to celebrate the song’s upcoming anniversary.
Plain White T’s and We The Kings will end their joint tour by playing Warped Tour in Orlando, Florida on Nov. 15-16. The emo music festival returned earlier this year to celebrate its 30th anniversary with three, two-day festivals, each one showcasing 70 to 100 bands.
Warped Tour, which first launched in 1995, spent 24 years traveling around North America before retiring in 2018. Plain White T’s have performed the festival multiple times, so this year will feel like an extra special reunion for the band.
“Obviously that’s just going to be a blast from the past. [We’ll] see a bunch of our old friends. They’ve got a lot of cool new bands on there this year and stuff,” Higgenson said. “So, that’s just going to be super fun, almost like a family reunion of sorts.”
Afterward, Plain White T’s will headline the 34th Magnificent Mile Lights Festival in Chicago on Nov. 22. The event will feature a Christmas tree lighting and parade on top of the band’s performance. The festival is also a homecoming for Higgenson and the rest of his band.
“Representing for Chicago,” the singer said with a chuckle.
Once Plain White T’s wrap up the band’s live shows in December, the group will go back into the studio to make some new music. Higgenson said they have recorded a few songs but are “just kind of getting started in the process.”
The frontman expects the band to keep working on new music through February. Until then, fans can get tickets to see Plain White T’s either on “The Delilah Vs. Juliet Tour” or at Warped Tour.
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