CONCERT REVIEW: American Football | House of Blues | Cleveland, OH

Waiting in line outside House of Blues Cleveland on E 4th Street, a passerby asked what this line was for. A fan told him that American Football– to which he exclaimed, “They are playing football in there?!”

For most people, if you mention American football to them, they might respond with something similar (or maybe something about soccer). Or…they might be a fan of the band who released their self-titled cult-classic masterpiece in 1999…waiting in line with me, chuckling at the guy on the street.

American Football has one of the most unlikely comeback stories in indie rock. The aforementioned debut album surfaced while the then-trio were college students at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. According to frontman Mike Kinsella, the album was made “literally in the last four days” before two out of the three members of the band had to move back home from college. The songs were called ‘the B song’ or ‘the C-sharp song’ and the final titles were made up hours before the artwork was complete.

And that was it. They agreed to go their separate ways— it was “never meant” to be more.

But it was when 15 years later they reunited, performed again, and then released their second and third album. No one would have thought they would be on a world tour with their fourth studio album 27 years later. They have added a few members since, including Mike’s cousin, Nate Kinsella, on bass and keyboard.

Even though they became the face of Midwest Emo, they weren’t really at the time (aside from the Midwest part). In a recent interview with NPR, the drummer (and trumpet player) Steve Lamos explained, “There was no such thing as Midwest emo– nobody said that. They used Emo as a dismissive term, but I have great affection for it now. It’s a [genre] for people who see themselves sort of outside the mainstream.” They said we’ll accept the Midwest part along with John Mellencamp. They blend a bunch of genres such as math-rock, post-rock, indie, and of course, Emo. Call it what you want, their music was very influential and clearly felt right to a lot of people.

The show took fans on an incredible journey back in time through their discography. Since the beginning, all of their albums have been called ‘American Football’, but now feature an LP number as a suffix. American Football kicked off their show with the opening track from 2026’s ‘LP4,’ “Man Overboard.” Members of the ensemble gradually entered the stage and joined in playing. This album still features their iconic drum and guitar intricacies, but with a darker feel (especially in vocal subject matter).

Transitioning into their 2019 ‘LP3,’ they played “I Can’t Feel You” and “Uncomfortably Numb,” which both feature female vocals on the record and are musically bright, yet lyrically dark. Followed by their 2016 reunion album, ‘LP2,’ they played “Home Is Where the Haunt Is” and “My Instincts Are the Enemy.” This album sounds more produced but still feels the most similar to their first, featuring intertwining guitar parts and interesting rhythms. They ended the set by playing the original American Football. Starting with “Honestly?” and “Stay Home,” The House appeared, projected behind the band.

The projected house turned from day to night and red as “Stay Home” transitioned into “The One With the Wurlitzer”– featuring Lamos’ trumpet solo. They ended with “Never Meant”– the first song on American Football (‘LP1’) and most popular track to date.

Over the span of time after the first album, the house on the cover came to represent them. The house in Urbana near campus was a popular location for college parties and punk concerts. Members of the band attended parties there and knew Chris Strong, a photographer who lived in the basement. They asked him to design cover artwork and he apparently took “a couple thousand photos” of the house. The band chose the photo that has been so iconic for them and has now led to the house being a “place of worship” on Google Maps and its own website. The record company, Polyvinyl Records, along with Chris Strong and a few others purchased the house in 2023. They now list it on Airbnb, offering a discount to touring bands playing in the area as a place to crash.

They came back on stage for an encore of three songs from their most recent release: “Patron Saint of Pale”– a very dissonant culmination of all their talents (especially marimba); “No Feeling”– which, like a lot of this album, reminds me a lot of the Cure’s Disintegration; and ending with “Bad Moons”– despite being the fourth song on ‘LP4,’ is a great ending piece. Their entire act was a very clever way to showcase their journey as a band. By going back in time leading up to playing their beloved older tracks, then bookending it with an encore of their new album, they were able to perform a wide range of material while still playing half of the songs that night from the record they are touring.

This show was definitely a highlight show of the year for me. When I first started listening to American Football, I never thought that I would see them perform live…let alone with an opportunity to photograph them. I was given permission to continue covering the show from anywhere in the house after the first three songs, which allowed me to capture some amazing moments. This was my first time at House of Blues and I really enjoyed how intimate the space was while still providing an amazing energy for fans. I think the love for American Football that their fans have really helped that space feel like we were all getting to see something special– and we definitely did.