I Watched the Crowd Glow — Movements ends the ‘RUCKUS!’ Tour at the Torch

April 6, 2025 – Los Angeles

The same night that K-pop star and BTS member J-Hope wrapped his global tour in LA at BMO stadium with fireworks, another kind of emotional catharsis lit up just a few feet away at The Torch. On Apr. 6, Movements closed out the ‘RUCKUS!’ tour with Downward, Scowl, and Citizen — a lineup that gradually built up to a complete explosion.

It felt like something bigger than a concert. Maybe it was the venue — massive, moody, newly established, and overlooked by the historic LA Coliseum. Maybe it was the fact that it was a homecoming stop for Movements, born just miles away in Orange County. Maybe it was just me, riding the adrenaline rush of a night of many firsts: my first time in a photo pit and first time in a venue like The Torch, packed with an audience clad in all-black. Or maybe it was simply the energy — electric, emotionally charged, and above all, united.

Photography by Carissa Leong (IG: @carissalphoto.cr2)

Oklahoma’s Downward opened the night with their shoegaze-infused slowcore sound. Their set served as a dreamy introduction for the chaos that would soon ensue. Their set was melancholic and hazy, giving us just enough space to breathe before hardcore punk band Scowl truly brought the house down.

Photography by Carissa Leong (IG: @carissalphoto.cr2)

If Downward was a sigh, Scowl was a scream. Hailing from Santa Cruz, CA, the hardcore punk band performed on the stage like they owned it. Frontwoman Kat Moss was magnetic from the get-go — and not just because of her bright, electric green hair. Moss’ screams resounded with the ferocity of a jaguar, and her wild, carefree stage presence kept the crowd energized. Her ability to not only dance along with the crowd, but to command it was something to behold live. Scowl’s bassist Bailey Lupo also laid down some of the most infectious bass lines of the night.

The band played some songs off of their latest record Are We All Angels, which dropped only two days prior to the show, including the gritty, visceral tracks “B.A.B.E” and “Tonight (I’m Afraid).” Throughout their set, the crowd moshed like their lives depended on it, forming a writhing mass of bodies hungry for more. Scowl was definitely one of the overall highlights of the show for me. In the words of Movements frontman Patrick “Pat” Miranda, they truly are “a band that is impossible to ignore.”

Photography by Carissa Leong (IG: @carissalphoto.cr2)

Citizen’s set was full of surprises. By the time Citizen hit the stage, the crowd had ballooned in size. The moment frontman Mat Kerekes put his mouth to the mic, it was as if there was an unspoken understanding that the current moment was sacred — and the crowd yelled every word back.

There was a clear divisive tension in the air when Citizen played — some devoted to Citizen’s earlier, darker sound, and others resonating more with their newer, more joyful dance tracks. The band’s set unconventionally opened with one of their oldest, most popular songs “The Night I Drove Alone,” as Kerekes’ haunting vocals repeating the phrase “and I should’ve crashed the car,” echoed through The Torch like a confession shouted into the void. At one point, an eager fan snuck onto the stage with the band, grabbing the mic during an older fan-favorite “Sleep.” Later, she was gleefully dragged away by security after having her moment.

The band ended their set with the song “I Want To Kill You,” off of their 2021 album Life in Your Glass World. This album marked a stark departure from Citizen’s traditional post-hardcore roots, embracing the band’s new creative direction inspired by new-wave and dance punk. Overall, their set reflected their journey as a band, as they played a blend of post-hardcore, emo, and dance rock anthems across their discography.

Through it all, Citizen’s ability to connect with fans across their musical evolution was evident. Even as a very recent listener of the band, the magic with witnessing Citizen live was not the band themselves, but the call-and-response nature Citizen had with the fans during their set. It was made very clear that this band had evolved alongside its listeners.

Photography by Carissa Leong (IG: @carissalphoto.cr2)

As the headlining act, Movements emerged and was greeted by a roar from the crowd. If Citizen brought the energy, Movements brought the emotion, with both hitting hard and heavy in all the right ways. They opened with a string of sharper, heavy-hitting tracks, like their latest 2025 single “Afraid to Die,” and other tracks off of their latest 2023 LP RUCKUS! like “Killing Time” and “Lead Pipe.”

Sonically, the set was airtight. Frontman Pat Miranda’s vocals swung seamlessly between throat-shredding screams and melodic introspection. And aside from Miranda, drummer Spencer York was a standout player. Steady like a heartbeat, but ready to explode when the moment calls for it.

At one point, Miranda said, “just because it’s the ‘RUCKUS!’ Tour, doesn’t mean we won’t play some old songs.” Then they dropped into “Full Circle,” off their 2017 breakout album Feel Something, which was moodier in tone and neatly integrated spoken-word elements. Throughout the night, the setlist meshed the high-energy rage of tracks like “I Hope You Choke!” with the catharsis of lyrically heavy songs like “Where I Lay.”

This show not only marked the end of the RUCKUS! tour, but also the end of the RUCKUS! era. Movements truly came full-circle, starting and ending this era in Los Angeles, beginning with a sold-out show in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Palladium, featuring Philly punk band MP, Softcult, and Heart to Gold, and ending it with a bang with their biggest headlining show at The Torch.

By the end of the night, just before Miranda sang the final song, he announced that this show would be the last that any fan would see of them for a while.

“We’re going to write some new music. And we’re going to be [releasing] a new record, and doing it all over again, yeah?” said Miranda, and the crowd cheered. “We’re not sure when that’s going to be. So make the most of this last song right here.”

And finally came the band’s most popular song “Daylily.” I didn’t film it. I didn’t even try. I just looked around and saw people singing, some screaming “shine onto me” over and over again like a promise.

Photography by Carissa Leong (IG: @carissalphoto.cr2)

It’s rare to be at a show where the energy never dips. Every scream felt earned. This night was messy, loud, soft, and everything in between. There’s something strangely intimate about learning to love a band in real time, as sweat droplets fly in the air and strangers scream around you. Watching the way the crowd moved, cried, and belted every word made me, an outsider, understand (even for just a little bit) how powerful collective grief, joy, and noise can really be.

Even amidst a looming hiatus, the fans will be alright. That night was a reminder that even across genres that are worlds apart, music was and still is, what brings us home.

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Stream “Where I Lay” here: