The Academy Is... : Throwback To 2005

October 8th of 2011 was a terrible day for any fan of The Academy Is… (abbreviated TAI) as they announced their official disbandment after 8 years. Since then members have continued playing music individually, but most fans felt it never measured up to the music they released together. After these 4 years apart, the members of TAI decided to reunite to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their debut CD Almost Here! They announced playing Riot Fest in Chicago, IL and they played a “secret show” for Riot Fest’s after party events.

From first arriving at the venue, it was clear this show was going to be something special. Tickets had sold out in less than five minutes after being posted and it was obvious from the line queuing outside of the Double Door, hours before doors opened, that these were all diehard TAI fans. The excitement and anticipation was visible on everyone’s face.

Once inside the venue, no one wanted to wait any longer, the anticipation was palpable. As TAI took the stage, every person in the room started screaming at the top of their lungs. “Attention, attention. May I have all your eyes and ears to the front of the room,” is the first line sung off Almost Here and they definitely had all of our attention. Every person in the venue knew every line to every song and was immersed into the show.

There was jumping, screaming (at times louder than lead singer William Beckett), and crowd surfing. Everyone was so happy and excited to be at this small capacity venue witnessing an event no one ever thought would occur.

TAI played their full debut album, Almost Here, and it was spectacular. They played just as they had before disbanding; it was as though they never went away at all. William Beckett, Mike Carden, Adam Siska, and Andy Mrotek (better known as “The Butcher”) came onto the stage and just fell into their old habits. They were comfortable on stage with one another, even after all that time, and you could tell they were all genuinely happy to be playing together again.

The band sounded perfect while playing, not like when some bands play reunion shows and you’re not even sure it’s the same band. The Academy Is… sounded as if it was still 2011 and they were rocking. In addition to playing Almost Here in full, the band came out for an encore and played three more tracks. “Bulls in Brooklyn,” “About a Girl” and “We’ve Got a Big Mess on Our Hands” were the lucky chosen songs and they mixed well with the previous songs.

Everyone thought this would be a once in a lifetime event, but thankfully for all of us TAI fans, they have announced a reunion tour to give ode to Almost Here. They announced the tour during Riot Fest two nights after the Double Door show and tickets are now on sale on their website. After attending the “secret show”, I highly recommend going to see this tour if you ever listened to The Academy Is… You will feel like you’re a teenager again and enjoy a good night out with great music.