There’s a certain kind of energy that only comes out for shows like this, the kind where the crowd isn’t just there to watch, but to remember. On April 29 at The Marquee Theatre, Boys Like Girls brought that feeling to life, celebrating both their self-titled debut and Love Drunk in a way that felt less like just another stop on the tour and more like stepping back into a specific moment in time. Leaning into their own lyric that “two is better than one,” the band ran both albums back-to-back, giving fans a full night built around the songs that defined them.

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From the second you walked into the venue, it was clear what kind of night it was going to be. The merch table was lined with familiar visuals, the green, red, and blue paint splatter designs that instantly take you back, along with updated versions of older tour shirts that now read “Soundtrack of Your Life.” It wasn’t subtle, but it didn’t need to be. Everything about it felt intentional, like the band was inviting fans to meet them where it all started.

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Even before the band hit the stage, the room was already moving. Early 2000s pop tracks blasted through the speakers, and people sang along like it was second nature. There was no hesitation, no warming up period. By the time the lights dropped, the energy had already settled into something shared across the room. Behind the stage, towers of CRT TVs flickered to life, cycling through clips from the years these albums first came out, adding just enough context without pulling focus from what mattered.

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Once the music started, the structure of the set did the rest. Running both albums front-to-back gave the night a natural flow, each song landing exactly where it needed to. “The Great Escape” hit early and hard, the kind of chorus that doesn’t fade with time. “Love Drunk” kept that momentum going, while “Two Is Better Than One” gave the room a chance to slow down for a moment, people pulling in closer before everything opened back up again. By the time “Five Minutes to Midnight” came around, it felt like the whole crowd had fully leaned in.

What stood out most was how consistent the energy stayed. It didn’t matter if you’d been listening to these songs for 20 years or just rediscovered them recently, everyone was on the same page. The crowd wasn’t just reacting, they were participating, carrying the songs as much as the band was. It gave the whole night a kind of momentum that never really dropped off.

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With iDKHOW and Arrows In Action rounding out the lineup, the tour keeps moving through the U.S. before heading overseas. But the Tempe stop felt like one of those nights that sticks. Not just because of the setlist, but because of how clearly it meant something to everyone in the room.