Before I start this review, let me take you back 10 years ago to 8th grade me. I was just starting to get into the pop/punk scene. I was discovering bands like All Time Low, Cute Is What We Aim For, Fall Out Boy, Cobra Starship and, the point of this blog, The Maine and Mayday Parade.

One of my first concerts at The Rave was an All Time Low Concert and The Maine was opening up for them. This was back when they had just released “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop” (2008) and man was I stoked. They put on a memorable show and my friend Sarah and I got to meet and hang out with all the members for a good hour just chatting. I would insert a picture but that would call for some very embarrassing and regretful middle school style choices.

I also got the chance to see one of Mayday Parade’s first shows at The Rave back in my middle school/high school days and although I didn’t get to meet them, it was still a memorable night and I’m grateful that I got that experience to see them when they were just starting out…which brings me to today, or yesterday…

I haven’t seen The Maine live since their “Black and White” album (2010) and I’ve haven’t seen Mayday Parade since Warped Tour of 2007, during their “A Lesson in Romantics” era and Lancaster’s departure. So when my friend Cherry presented the idea of going to see them I was all on board. Last night took me back to 10 years ago and brought back so many memories, in a good way that only music can.

I first off want to start by saying the opening act, Technicolor, was amazing. Although it was just him, Brennan Smiley, his set drew you in so intently that you didn’t even know it was just one guy on stage. His guitar playing one something that you don’t hear much anymore. The riffs, the solos…everything! It was amazing. I don’t know much about their music, haven’t heard any of it before last night, but I will definitely be looking them up because the set he played last night was amazing.

Then The Maine came on and I was transported to a different year. I was expecting to hear stuff off of their newest album “American Candy” and their previous album “Forever Halloween” with a few from “Pioneer” thrown in there. But I was partly wrong. They obviously played newer songs but they played more songs off of “Black and White” and “Can’t Stop Wont Stop” than what I expected. Even playing my favorite song (and the song that got me loving them) Everything I Ask For and I about died. In that moment I was the happiest. The banter with the crowd and “question time” was just little added perks that makes their shows so personal and unique. They even invited a fan, Mitch, on stage to sing Girls Do What They Want and even though Mitch didn’t get the words right in the beginning, he had the best time ever on that stage and the band was loving it too. The crowd even did a bit of ad-libbing some Whitney Houston at one point during the set. A+

Mayday Parade was no different. Starting the show off with a classic for the second number, Jamie All Over, I was 14 again. Playing songs that were classic throwbacks like Black Cat, Jersey, and Three Cheers for Five Years  I was my teenage self again and loving it. My only complaint was that it was hard to hear Derek’s vocals, I feel that the bass was way to loud and overbearing that you couldn’t tell if Derek was singing or not until you looked at him. Although I was looking to hear my favorite Miserable at Best they did not play it, but the moment the crowd and Derek had during Terrible Things was a magical one. The lights went out and the room was lit up only by cell phones (21st century) and one guy with a lighter.

The music that was played an the memories that came flooding back to me was great, but what made this show something to remember (other than seeing their growth musically and performance wise) was the lighting. Being that I want to make a career out of this whole music thing, I really pay attention to other aspects that go into a show, light sound and lighting and stage set up. The lighting for this concert was one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. The colors he used, the timing, the sequences it was all perfectly matched with the song and the mood of the show. I believe that lighting can really make the show. Its the whole visual aspect, if the lighting doesn’t make sense with the music then the whole vibe is off. This guy knew what he was doing and made a perfect show. Because I liked the lighting so much, I took to Twitter and asked The Maine who did the lighting and they responded with Jordan Auge. If anyone is interested in lighting, I would highly suggest looking at some of his stuff or checking him out because he does an amazing job.

Overall, last night was refreshing. It was a throwback to my younger years and a system update for my brain to see the growth of some of my favorite artists. I highly suggest checking out all the bands and people I’ve talked about in this post as well as the pictures that I took over on my Snapshots page!

The Maine @themaine
Mayday Parade @maydayparade
The Technicolors @TheTechnicolors
Jordan Auge @JordanAuge