KEEP IT MOVING: TURNSTILE AT HUNTINGTON BANK PAVILION
Huntington Bank Pavillion, Chicago, IL | September 26th, 2025
Written by River Epperson | Cover photo via Turnstile on Instagram
Turnstile has never been bigger, and the release of 2025’s NEVER ENOUGH has everyone talking. Critics claim the hardcore stalwarts have abandoned their roots for a more palatable sound. In contrast, fans claim the group has found a way to introduce hardcore to the mainstream cultural zeitgeist, making the music more accessible. Though often forgotten, accessibility is important to the hardcore and punk scenes. In truth, Turnstile’s evolving, genre-bending sound likely has more to do with the changing music industry than anything else: rising ticket prices have led audiences to expect longer and longer performances, and 90 minutes of pure hardcore does not make for a sustainable tour. The group also received a lot of flak for their ticket prices, though critics seem to be ignoring that $100 is a standard ticket price these days, and Turnstile is bringing along three supporting acts every night, something that is also not cheap. Regardless, anyone who attended Turnstile’s sold-out stop of their NEVER ENOUGH tour at Chicago’s Huntington Bank Pavilion received a show (and the whiplash) to prove Turnstile is staying as true to their hardcore roots as they ever have.
Turnstile’s sold-out stop in Chicago with support from Jane Remover, Australian hardcore staple Speed, and Mannequin Pussy is another addition to the band’s legendary summer: Starting with the release of their visual album and their first performance at Primavera Sound in June, followed up with the NEVER ENOUGH visual album debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival, and continued with NPR’s first ever in-studio stage dive with their Tiny Desk performance earlier this month. For the Baltimore hardcore group, it seems as if everything has changed since the release of 2021’s Glow On: in the past four years, Turnstile has received three Grammy nominations, founding member Brady Ebert left the band, and the group has embarked on a headline world tour, practically unheard of in the hardcore scene. One thing remains constant: Turnstile’s dedication to their music and the hardcore community.
The NEVER ENOUGH tour is presented like the album: an ever-changing, genre-bending collection of music. Starting with post-rock and electronic artist Jane Remover (who turned 22 during Chicago’s show), followed by Speed (an Australian hardcore band hailing from the Outback), with indie punk up-and-comers Mannequin Pussy welcoming Turnstile to the stage. Additional support for the tour is provided by R&B/electronic artist Blood Orange and the Australian punk band Amyl and the Sniffers. Friday’s show remained focused on the present moment, with Mannequin Pussy asking the crowd, “What are you screaming for?” and reminding the crowd that art cannot be separated from politics, and Turnstile calling for a Free Palestine, a call which was met with an overwhelming roar of approval.
If one thing was to be felt Friday evening, it was the love Turnstile and their fans have for the hardcore community. The band drew an audience both young and old, serving as a reminder that hardcore is one of society’s great equalizers: it doesn’t matter who you are; sometimes you need to vent your frustrations, and the music gives you an escape to do so. Elementary-age children were mixed in with adults old enough to be their grandparents, sporting shirts with slogans such as “THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SEE MYSELF,” and “THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME BE MYSELF.” Turnstile also created the Turnstile Love Channel with the release of 2021’s Glow On, an online forum dedicated to documenting the band and their fans at tour stops that is still regularly updated.
Though Turnstile is soaring to new heights with every passing day, the Baltimore-based hardcore band remains dedicated to bringing the best show possible to their fans. Providing an evening of music modeled after their genre-bending album, anyone attending a stop of the NEVER ENOUGH tour is sure to experience an unforgettable night. Concertgoers who are nostalgic for a good, old-fashioned hardcore basement show or who are looking to dive headfirst into the excitement of the hardcore and punk scenes will feel welcomed to “keep it moving” with Turnstile for a night of endless moshing and crowdsurfing.
