As the merch line snaked around the Music Hall at the House of Blues in Anaheim and eager fans secured their spots at the barricade. The doors had opened at 6 p.m. on Oct. 1, and three opening bands were scheduled to play before the post-hardcore headliner, From First to Last. The biggest of the opening bands was I Set My Friends On Fire. Metalcore band A Year Ago Today was setting up to be the first opener of the night. Both From First to Last and I Set My Friends On Fire are well known for their presence in the post-hardcore scene during the early 2000s, but From First to Last remains a bit more recognizable for the notoriety of their previous vocalist Sonny Moore, now known as Skrillex. Despite the appeal of the larger bands, fans were in for a surprise with the strong performances that the smaller openers would be giving that night.
Despite debuting in 2024 A Year Ago Today’s sound is well defined, especially for a 2-year-old band. They are also local to Southern California, having been formed in Long Beach, Calif. During the concert, with how impressive their live performance was, they almost gave the impression that they were one of the more veteran bands.
Hardcore band Roman Candle was the second opener of the night. They brought in a heavier sound filled with resonating screams, contrasting the mix of harsh and clean vocals used by A Year Ago Today.
It was 8:30 p.m. when the stage was illuminated by flashing, orange stage lights in preparation for the final opener. The crowd stood still as they waited for the MySpace era band, I Set My Friends On Fire, to take the stage. As the lights flashed blue, the band scurried onstage, and the crowd erupted.
The band started off their setlist with their 2008 track “Ravenous, Ravenous Rhinos” from their debut album, “You Can’t Spell Slaughter Without Laughter.” They then dove into “Reese’s Pieces, I Don’t Know Who John Cleese Is?,” a six minute, 26 second long track.
“This one is the longest song we’ve ever written,” lead singer Matt Mehana shared with the crowd that Thursday.
The fun facts about the band would not end there. From comments on how little sleep the band was running on to declarations that the band had not performed in an entire month, Mehana had yet another exciting piece of information to share with the crowd.
“I want to give a shoutout, shut up,” Mehana said, motioning at the crowd. “I want to give a shoutout to my old drummer, Chris Lent. He now drums for From First to Last.”
The band would go on to play 10 tracks in total, with the encore track being their 2008 single released with the popular YouTube channel Smosh, “S*X ED ROCKS!.”
At 9:30 p.m., headliner From First to Last would finally take the stage after playing a monologue from the 1989 film “Heathers.”
“Dear Diary, my teen angst b******t has a body count. The most popular people in school are dead, everybody’s sad, but it’s a weird kind of sad,” echoed in a distorted recording throughout the music hall. “Suicide gave Heather depth, Kurt a soul, Ram a brain, I don’t know what its given me, but I’ve got no control over myself when I’m with JD. Are we going to prom or hell?”
After the monologue, the five band members, drummer Lent, bass player Matt Manning, rhythm guitarist Travis Richter, lead guitarist Matt Good and vocalist Lil Lotus took the stage. Lil Lotus is the newest official member of the band, and the third vocalist to take over since Sonny Moore’s departure from the band to pursue his solo career as Skrillex. The band began their performance with a track from their earlier discography, “The One Armed Boxer vs. the Flying Guillotine” from their 2004 debut studio album “Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has A Bodycount.” With the album name being a clear reference to “Heathers,” the introduction monologue feels fitting for the opening track.
Despite the change in vocalists, the original sound of From First to Last remains preserved, with Lil Lotus performing in a similar vocal style to that of Moore. The band performed 11 tracks in total, with many being from “Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has A Bodycount,” and one song, “My Heart, Your Hands,” from their 2003 extended play (EP), “Aesthetic.” The band played two encore tracks to satisfy the fans’ calls for another song at the end of the show, which were “Emily” and “Ride The Wings Of Pestilence” from their debut album.
Though, their show was not entirely filled with their nostalgic old music. It also included two tracks from their recently released EP, “We Were Bleeding Anyway.” The EP would officially release the day after the show on Oct. 2, and would be the band’s first release with Lil Lotus. The two tracks they played from the EP, “Your Name In Red Ink” and “They Said Your Ghost Was A Promise,” fit well into the band’s discography. They maintain From First to Last’s core sound while suiting their new vocalist.
From First to Last’s next show will be on Nov. 15 at the Vans Warped Tour in Orlando, Fla., and their opener I Set My Friends on Fire can also be expected to perform at the festival on Nov. 14.
Juliana Maldonado is an Arts & Entertainment Staff Writer. She can be reached at jrmaldo1@uci.edu.
Edited by Corinna Chin and Jaylynn Tsui.
![Juliana Rosie Maldonado in black glasses, a black jacket,] and crossbody black bag.](https://newuniversity.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/5c0c11ac-56cf-4a34-ad63-1e0ff1460eff-Juliana-Rosie-Maldonado-150x150.jpg)
Juliana Maldonado is a third year Literary Journalism and Game Design & Interactive Media double major. Maldonado is a 3D Environmental Artist with a heavy interest in covering music, film, and just about everything game related, from student made indie games to Triple-A titles.