Concert review: An emotional farewell to Foxing | 12.06.25, The Pageant (with photo gallery)

Photo of Foxing live at The Pageant by Laura Jerele

It was an emotional farewell to the beloved band Foxing Saturday night at the pageant. What was billed as their last show together as a band ended up being a very emotional and perfectly delivered sonic souvenir for the band and their fans alike. Foxing is one of the coolest and most diverse alt indie rock bands, and it’s sad to see them take a swan song at this stage of the game. Earlier this fall, Foxing announced their departure from performing as a band with a handful of farewell shows, including Chicago and of course, their hometown here in St. Louis. And as they performed their final night together, they let everyone know that a sellout crowd at The Pageant was pretty much the stuff of dreams and a fittingly perfect way for them to say goodbye—and thank you.

Their music is, at times, incredibly heavy with growling vocals and heavy guitars, worthy of crowd surfing and headbanging and tonight definitely had its fill of both! Shifts to their introspective and more shoegaze, emo songs felt quite a bit heavier and full-on cinematic, especially with how they chose to be heavily backlit by massive and dramatic lights, versus being flooded with front lighting like look-at-me stage darlings. To me, this band (vocalist Conor Murphy, guitarist Eric Hudson, drummer Jon Hellwig, and bassist Brett Torrence) have as much breadth in its musical style as the heralded and musically diverse Turnstile, which only goes to show how ahead of the curve they were and still are. 

The night wasn’t just for heavy songs, it was also for the fans who were heavyhearted with emotion and memories, spanning the night between exhilaration and full-on tears. I spoke with fans that drove in from Wisconsin, Illinois, Kansas, Texas, and a couple that flew in from New York, proving that Foxing’s mark was not just as a ‘local act.’ Much like their beloved fans, their music travelled far and worldwide.

Taking time between songs, the band took a few moments to thank those who supported them and cheered them on this incredible journey, not only thanking family and friends, but even the former partners and loves that lead to inspiring their songs. The band played a more intimate show the night before (which was also sold out) at the sister venue next door, Delmar Hall. I’m sure the show did not carry the exact same emotional and performance weight as this final gig. Everything about their performance was genuine, emotional and very high energy, proving that as they bid farewell, they were going to leave it all on the stage. And I was so glad to see their fans not holding back—the crowd was incredibly loud and raucous and was just as full force as Foxing.

We truly don’t know if this is a goodbye for now or forever. Regardless, their fans let them know how much they are loved, admired, and how much Foxing mattered as the soundtrack to their lives. And that’s an amazing thing to witness.

Farewell, Foxing, you will be missed. | Laura Jerele

Setlist:

Secret History
Spit
Hell 99
Go Down Together
Bastardizer
Cold Blooded
The Medic
Grand Paradise
Night Channels
Gratitude
Greyhound
Bit by a Dead Bee Pt 1
Beacons
Lich Prince
Lambert
Speak With the Dead

Encore:
At Least We Found the Floor
Rory
Nearer My God