Games We SLAY: Hometown Album Release Show!

In celebration of his debut album Life’s Going Great, released on March 1^st 2024, Games We Play (GWP) began their first ever headline tour shortly after with the first show being on March 27, 2024. With 22 dates on their headline tour, I was lucky enough to experience the 14^th show, Emmyn’s “hometown album release show” at the Eastside Bowl in Nashville, TN.

My night began in the lobby of the Eastside Bowl where two very kind fans were walking the line handing out GWP themed bracelets to every person in sight. The bracelets featured the names of various songs such as I Hope You’re Happy, Girl Shaped Crater, Typical Me, as well as the album title Life’s Going Great and a few GWP fan jokes! When the doors opened, we were welcomed into the concert hall. During the wait for the openers to come on, I noted the friendly atmosphere, where every person in the crowd felt more like family than a stranger.

After the three performances from the amazing openers: Zoe Ko, House Parties, and special guest opener John Harvie, the stage curtains closed, leaving the crowd to anxiously await the entrance of Games We Play. It was 10pm when the curtains began to draw back, and Games We Play took to the stage. Emmyn started the night off with the fourth song on his debut album, Oh So Blue. Pausing before introducing the second song The End, Emmyn informed the crowd that this show was his second headline show in Nashville and thanked everyone for coming out! Every single fan in the crowd stayed right there in the moment with Emmyn, dancing and screaming their hearts out through the whole set.

During GWP’s set the most notable moments shined through Emmyn’s genuine appreciation and love for every person in the room, especially for those who have supported him in chasing his dreams. After the third song Deadbeat, Emmyn paused his set to shoutout his family that was in the crowd, even bringing his mom on stage to sing her Happy Birthday and then announcing “It’s not her birthday. She deserved it anyways!” It was obvious that despite it not being her birthday, his mom and every member of the crowd enjoyed that personable moment we shared while wishing her a “happy birthday”.

After spotlighting his family, Emmyn continued with the set playing Typical Me, another song from his new album and following it with one of the songs from his major label EP debut, Get a Job. In the middle of performing Get A Job, Emmyn pauses to address the crowd saying, “I probably played a hundred shows in Nashville with 6 people there and the fact that y’all are here tonight means so fucking much!” Displaying yet another moment of genuine appreciate and love for us all.

Already proving to be one of the most exciting and genuine concerts I have attended, GWP took it a step further when Emmyn introduced the eighth song on the setlist All My Untalented Friends (Oooo La La) by thanking his special guest opener and close friend, John Harvie for assisting in co-writing his debut album and supporting him always. Emmyn then invited John Harvie on stage and surprised the crowd by singing All My Untalented Friends with John, an experience completely unique to tonight’s show.

Games We Play’s pop punk music is full of catchy tunes you want to scream in the car with your best friends, and it is full of honesty. The truth to songs such as Round & Round and I Hope You’re Happy flooded the concert hall as Emmyn and every person in the room sang each song lyric for lyric, leaving the crowd feeling validated and a little less alone as the curtains closed and GWP exited the stage. This was my second time seeing Games We Play, the first being when they opened for Yungblud in Cleveland this past July 2023. At that point in time, they had not yet released their debut album, but during their set GWP still were able to engage with and entertain the crowd. Fast forward eight months and not only did GWP entertain the crowd at the Eastside Bowl, but they touched our hearts by giving us the opportunity to connect with new friends and find a place where we can show up as our real selves, a true Games We SLAY night!

The “Life’s Going Great” Tour 2024 still has a few shows left until the last show on May 1 in Boston, Ma. If you can’t catch Games we Play live on this tour, they are scheduled to play at the Let’s Go! music festival on May 31 in Maryland, so hopefully you can catch them there!

Setlist