Frank Iero of L.S. Dunes, which plays Jannus Live in St. Petersburg, Florida on Nov. 2, 2024. Credit: Photo by Jack Cymbryla

There aren’t a lot of supergroups that go beyond only appearing at festivals as a one-off kind of deal. And it sure seemed that was it for L.S. Dunes—featuring My Chemical Romance’s Frank Iero, Coheed and Cambria’s Travis Stever, and Circa Survive’s Anthony Green—when it made its debut at Riot Fest in 2022.

But following the hardcore band’s first appearance in town during last year’s iteration of the Sad Summer tour in downtown Clearwater, there’s already a new, sophomore album in the can, which has two melodic singles out in the open. The greatest sidemen in emo open for Rise Against’s first gig in Tampa Bay since 2017 this weekend.

Ahead of the show, Iero told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay about the best gig he ever saw being an intimate show from Woodstock legend Richie Havens. Read his full quote below.

The best gig I ever saw was when my father took me to see Richie Havens play a small room at the Temperance House in Newton, Pennsylvania. I was only about 13 years old, and before the show, I wasn’t really familiar with all of Richie’s material. I knew the story about him opening Woodstock and playing until he ran out of material, finally finishing his set with an impromptu version of his song “Motherless Child,” which on the spot morphed into “Freedom,” his most famous composition.

But that night seeing this man perform and tell stories captivated my mind, and ignited a fire inside me to be a songwriter and guitar player. I had never seen someone play the way he did, and I never have since. So rhythmic, so intense, so inspiring. And when the show was finally over, Richie walked to the back of the room and shook every person’s hand who attended the show. Richie Havens was a kind and unique soul, and he changed my life forever that night. -Frank Iero, L.S. Dunes

Tickets to see L.S. Dunes and Rise Against play St. Pete’s Jannus Live on Saturday, Nov. 2 are sold out.