Relient K Shocks Nashville with Free Show at Brown’s Diner — And They’re Doing It Again Tonight

Last night in Nashville, one of the most beloved bands of the 2000s turned back the clock—and turned up the volume—inside a burger joint.

Relient K played a surprise, full-band show at Brown’s Diner, the Hillsboro Village landmark known more for its fried pickles than pop-punk history. But for about 100 lucky fans crammed into the diner, and the hundreds more packed on the deck and sidewalks outside peering through windows, it became a front-row seat to an unforgettable night.

Relient K – Brown’s Diner – 05/30/2025
Photographer: Alicia St Gelais

It marked the band’s first live show in nearly a year and featured longtime members Matt Thiessen, Matt Hoopes, and Jon Schneck—joined by new drummer Christian Zawacki and bassist Luke Preston. 

They ran through a stacked setlist: Classics like “Be My Escape,” “Who I Am Hates Who I’ve Been,” “Sadie Hawkins Dance,” “High of 75,” and “Chap Stick, Chapped Lips, and Things Like Chemistry” were all there. But they also surprised diehards with deeper cuts like the rarely performed “Jefferson Aero Plane” and a warm, lingering closer: “Savannah.”

Thiessen and Hoopes traded “oooooh ooooh oooohs” and smiles during Sadie Hawkins Dance, the kind that only comes from playing music together for two and a half decades. And Jon Schneck—ever the showman—still brought the most energy, bouncing around the tiny space with bursts of his perfectly timed choreography.

Outside, the crowd pressed up to the open windows, singing along from the deck shared a side stage view that was debatably better than being inside.

And because this is still very much Relient K, there was a self-serve merch table offering free youth-sized shirts, with a sign suggesting a Venmo donation. No pressure. No fuss. Just DIY rock and roll at its finest.

The night wrapped with a humorous twist when the police showed up—perhaps expecting to break up a teenage punk show or out of control Nashville bachelorette party—only to find a crowd of middle-aged fans, strollers, and minivans. Realizing they’d stumbled into a millennial homecoming, the officers let the music play on.

And here’s the best part: they’re doing it again tonight.

Relient K returns to Brown’s Diner this evening for a second free show. No tickets, no wristbands. Just show up, get there early, and hope to snag a spot—or at least a window view. If you’re lucky, you might even find us hanging out for night two on the newly christened “Schneck Deck.”

Only in Nashville.

Relient K – Brown’s Diner – 05/30/2025 Photographer: Alicia St Gelias

Relient K – Brown’s Diner – 05/30/2025 Photographer: Callan Kapush

Relient K – Brown’s Diner – 05/30/2025 Photographer: Logan Sekulow

Relient K – Brown’s Diner – 05/30/2025 Photographer: Kelly Magnino

Relient K – Brown’s Diner – 05/30/2025 Photographer: Kelly Magnino

Relient K – Brown’s Diner – 05/30/2025 Photographer: Callan Kapush

Relient K – Brown’s Diner – 05/30/2025 Photographer: Callan Kapush

Relient K – Brown’s Diner – 05/30/2025 Photographer: Callan Kapush

Relient K – Brown’s Diner – 05/30/2025 Photographer: Callan Kapush

Setlist:

1. Little Green Apples (Roger Miller Cover)
2. Bummin’
3. High of 75
4. The One I’m Waiting For
5. Chap Stick, Chapped Lips, and Things Like Chemistry
6. Where do I go from here?
7. Therapy
8. I Don’t Need a Soul
9. Who I Am Hates Who I’ve Been
10. Local Construction
11. Collapsible Lung
12. Which to Bury, Us or the Hatchet
13. Jefferson Aero Plane (B-Sides Version)
14. Sadie Hawkins Dance
15. Be My Escape
16. Savannah

ICYMI: We celebrated the 25th anniversary of Relient K’s debut record with producer Mark Lee Townsend this week:

PHOTO CREDIT:

@callanloves

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Additional photos from:

@aliciastgelais

@logansekulow

@amandasekulow

@kelly.magnino