House of Music

Joyce Manor

Stubb’s

Austin, TX

March 11, 2026

Photos and Review by Roy Vergara

On a cool and comfortable Austin night just before the city would shift into full SXSW mode, fans gathered under the open sky at Stubb’s for a show that felt like the calm before the storm. Joyce Manor’s I Used To Go To This Bar tour landed at the perfect moment, drawing a mix of longtime listeners and younger fans discovering the band’s songs in real time, all packed together in one of the city’s most iconic outdoor venues.

The night began with Baltimore’s Combat setting the tone right away. Their set came out swinging with raw energy that immediately pulled the crowd forward, and within minutes a small mosh pit began spinning near the center of the floor. It was the type of opening set that wakes up a room quickly, gritty and loud in the best way. Teen Mortgage followed and leaned fully into that momentum, pushing the pace even harder. The amphitheater grew tighter as more fans packed in, and the pit widened as the band’s driving riffs kept the energy climbing. By the end of their set, Stubb’s had shifted from early evening warm up to full participation, with the crowd already locked into the rhythm of the night.

Militarie Gun stepped on stage next and completely ignited the crowd. Their set carried the kind of punch that thrives in a packed outdoor venue like Stubb’s, mixing hardcore urgency with an indie rock swagger that had the entire crowd leaning in. Midway through the performance they surprised everyone with a cover of “You Only Live Once**”** by The Strokes, instantly turning the entire space into a massive singalong. When the frontman jokingly apologized before jumping back into their own material and launching into “Life Under the Gun,” the moment felt playful in the best possible way. The band encouraged the audience to push closer during “Do It Faster,” and the pit expanded again as bodies collided and bounced under the stage lights. By the time their set wrapped, the energy in the venue had reached a new height.

When Joyce Manor walked on stage at 9:45 pm, the response from the crowd was immediate. The band dove straight into their rapid fire style, blending newer material from their latest record with songs that have been echoing through small clubs and packed venues for more than a decade. Early in the set they introduced “I Used to Go to This Bar,” the track that gives the tour its name, and it landed naturally among the older songs that longtime fans know by heart. Throughout the performance frontman Barry Johnson kept things loose, shouting out their tourmates and encouraging the audience to open up a “Texas sized mosh pit,” which the crowd happily delivered. The set moved seamlessly between eras of the band’s catalog. Newer songs like “The Possum” and “All My Friends Are So Depressed” carried the same emotional honesty Joyce Manor has always been known for, while fan favorites triggered massive singalongs that echoed across the courtyard. When the opening chords of “Catalina Fight Song” rang out, the entire venue erupted into one unified voice.

After wrapping the main set at 10:35 pm, chants for an encore quickly filled the space and the band returned moments later to finish the night with something a little more personal. Johnson shared a story about collaborating with a local Austin musician named Rory and invited him on stage to join the band for “Wildflowers,” turning the moment into a uniquely Austin connection between the band and the hometown crowd. For the final song of the night, Joyce Manor reached back to their earlier years with “Five Beer Plan,” sending the audience into one last wave of shouted lyrics and movement before the lights came up.

On a night just before SXSW would bring thousands more people into town, Stubb’s felt like a gathering of those who had already been here all along, sharing songs that carry memories and meaning long after the final note fades. Joyce Manor delivered the kind of set that feels both nostalgic and alive in the moment, a reminder that sometimes the best nights happen right before the chaos begins.

Check out the gallery below to relive the night or see what you missed.

Combat

Teen Mortgage

Militarie Gun

Joyce Manor