ANAHEIM, Calif. — Two decades after the Plain White T’s first piled onto a studio floor with nothing but hope, $5 footlongs and a pop-punk dream, the band is still finding new ways to surprise themselves.

For guitarist Tim Lopez, that sense of wonder is exactly why he’s still here, with two Grammy nominations, Platinum singles, viral moments, and the kind of longevity most bands only imagine.

When we speak, Lopez is home for a brief moment, grounding himself in the rhythms of family life before stepping back into the constant motion of touring. “Being home just makes it easier to balance everything,” he shares over the phone. “Touring is amazing, but the hours are strange, you drink a little too much sometimes, you’re always moving. So when I’m home, I try to be a good dad first.”

Earlier this year, the T’s hit the road on their Delilah vs. Juliet Tour with We the Kings, a run that doubled as a time capsule for fans who grew up on early 2000s emo and pop punk. Lopez still feels the impact of those rooms. “Every time we headline or co-headline and the room is full, it just feels like a blessing,” he says. “For a while, it felt like pop-punk and emo disappeared, but there’s a real resurgence happening. Maybe it’s the age of our fans, they’re not spending their parents’ money anymore. They’ve got their own lives, and buying a concert ticket is something they’re excited to do. The nostalgia is fun for them, and it’s amazing to see the music still resonate across decades. Every time we walk out onstage and see a big crowd, I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so lucky I get to do this.’ I’m just grateful.”

He laughs as he describes a moment from the tour: frontman Tom Higgenson encouraging the crowd to start a pit, only to watch a group of fans “who are definitely not 19 anymore” rise to the challenge.

“It cracked us up,” Lopez says. “People were all in.”

The timing of these shows coincides with a major milestone for the group, the 20th anniversary of “All That We Needed,” the album that quietly set the stage for “Hey There Delilah” to take over the world. “That record marks twenty years with the band for me,” Lopez says. “I’d come out of my own band in California when our manager gave me the tryout. I still remember those early shows and realizing how hard-working everyone was. It was a wake-up call about what it meant to take touring and recording seriously.”

What he remembers even more vividly is how little they had. “We were broke. We slept on the floor of the studio, lived on ten bucks a day, and relied completely on the label to fund the sessions. You’re basically hinging your entire future on whatever you can create in that room,” he says. “Looking back, it’s wild to think how naïve we were, musically, career-wise, just flying blind and hoping the songs connected. And then Tom had ‘Hey There Delilah’ in his back pocket, along with other songs that really resonated. That album changed everything. It’s the reason we’re still invited to these nostalgia tours today.” He pauses, almost surprised. “It was an adventurous time. No anchors, no safety net, just 100% commitment to where the music might take you.”

That spirit of evolution hasn’t faded. Their 2023 self-titled album brought the band back to a raw, melodic core. Lopez says the approach felt both familiar and refreshed. “We wanted to get back to who we are. Tom usually comes in with a demo, sometimes fully formed, sometimes a voice memo, and we shape it together. We’re always evolving, but we still want it to sound like us.” Songwriting, he adds, remains therapeutic. “The unknown is what keeps it fun. You sit down not knowing what’s going to happen, and suddenly something clicks. That moment, that’s the reward. And then you get to play it live and think, ‘Wow, this is my job.’ I’m lucky.”

Reflecting on two decades often prompts questions about the past. Lopez has thought about what he’d tell his younger self, the kid sleeping on a studio floor, hoping a song might change his life. “I’d tell him to be more positive,” he says. “To keep writing. There were times I got lazy or doubted everything. But if you stick with it, keep pushing, you’ll get somewhere.”

For longtime listeners and the new fans discovering them through nostalgia shows and social algorithms, the band promises a performance that balances their biggest hits with newer material. “We’re always going to play the staples,” Lopez says. “We’ve seen bands refuse to play their biggest song. That’ll never be us. Fans come for those moments, and so do we. But we like to mix in newer stuff too. Keep it fun for everyone.”

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