Saturday night, while everyone else was out at a party, dressed up as cops and nurses, I spent the night watching Mayday Parade and The Maine absolutely kill it.
I was not expecting much from the two bands, to be honest. I thought that the punk- rock phase that I went through was long over, and they couldn’t possibly do anything to change it back. But I was utterly wrong. Both bands played magnificently and sounded just as they did on the album.
Mayday Parade was the first headliner to take the stage after The Postelles. Derek Sanders, the lead singer, walked on stage and had everyone screaming for them to begin. When they finally did, they sounded spectacular and got the crowd going right off the bat. People were shrieking, jumping, and singing along with every single word of every single song that Mayday Parade played. They had a great stage presence, and Derek reminded me a lot of Adam Lazzara (lead singer of Taking Back Sunday) for one reason; h’s not afraid to throw his mic. This just made him more interesting to watch.
Directly after Mayday Parade cleared the stage, The Maine came on. While seemingly calmer than Mayday Parade, they still held the attention of the crowd. People were crowd surfing, the band was wailing, and the crowd was loving it. The lead singer of this band, as well, had an interesting stage presence. John O’Callaghan had this unique vibe about him, but I found it to be enthralling. I could not help but watch him play, as he climbed the walls and walked around on the balcony of the House of Blues. He was a real character.
Overall, both bands were phenomenal, but I would not recommend going to the show unless you are down for a crazy time. The crowd gets into it, pushing people over their heads and throwing things. If you go into it with this in mind, you will definitely have a great time.
By: Hannah Lowry