The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
Emo millennials proved that it wasn’t, in fact, just a phase when The Academy Is (stylized with an ellipsis at the end) brought its Almost Here 20th anniversary tour to the historic Ritz Ybor on April 18.
Drummer Andy Mrotek came down with food poisoning at the last second—causing the band’s truck driver Duane Hewins Jr. to fill his shoes and bang the cans on tunes he already knew—so a handful of songs off the normal setlist were cut to make way for a quick, solo acoustic set of deep cuts spearheaded by frontman William Beckett.
Calvin Waiguru’s alt-indie project Cdubz (stylized in all-caps) opened things up, as well as Jon Walker of early Panic! At The Disco, who ran through his own set of acoustic material, including a version of Panic’s “Nine in the Afternoon.”
See Caitlin Carter’s photos below.
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
Credit: Caitlin Carter
Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is…
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
The Academy Is… Credit: Caitlin Carter
Jon Walker Credit: Caitlin Carter
Jon Walker Credit: Caitlin Carter
Jon Walker Credit: Caitlin Carter
Jon Walker Credit: Caitlin Carter
Jon Walker Credit: Caitlin Carter
Jon Walker Credit: Caitlin Carter
Jon Walker Credit: Caitlin Carter
CDUBZ Credit: Caitlin Carter
CDUBZ Credit: Caitlin Carter
CDUBZ Credit: Caitlin Carter
CDUBZ Credit: Caitlin Carter
CDUBZ Credit: Caitlin Carter
CDUBZ Credit: Caitlin Carter
CDUBZ Credit: Caitlin Carter
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This article appears in Apr. 23 – 29, 2026.
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Tagged: live music in Tampa Bay, Slideshow Gallery, Tampa Bay concerts, The Academy Is, The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City concerts
Josh Bradley is Creative Loafing Tampa’s resident live music freak. He started freelancing with the paper in 2020 at the age of 18, and has since covered, announced, and previewed numerous live shows in…
More by Josh Bradley