But before we were graced with the presence of The Maine, we were hyped up by Filipino rock band, Written By The Stars—opening the show with their songs like “Sunset Boulevard” and “Runaway.” If you haven’t heard of them yet, check them out and add their songs to your Spotify playlists.
Related: 6 Local indie bands that should be on your playlist
🎶 Sweet Caroline, pa-pa-paaa 🎶
Good times never seemed so good…so good, so good, so good! Ah, yes, the show started off with a short video with Neil Diamond’s classic song (and earworm!), Sweet Caroline, playing throughout the dome. And we all know why…or at least The Maine fans know. 👀
After a short while, the band emerged through the darkness and sang “Sticky” (also an earworm!) from their latest album XOXO: From Love & Anxiety in Real Time. Not for long, the whole crowd started to sing the lyrics “When I see your face, it’s like I hit rewind because you’re on repeat just like so good in Sweet Caroline!” A really sweet and exhilarating way to start the show.
Live music is back, baby!
Yep, you heard that right! That’s what The Maine’s frontman and lead singer, John O’Callaghan, shouted after reminiscing how it was before the pandemic came and took a lot from us. He made us look around and bask in the glory of how we’re in a room full of people—sharing this glorious comeback of live music. Also acknowledging the fact that for the past three years, a lot of bad stuff probably happened to all of us, John asked us to channel that energy into the present moment, preparing us for the high of singing the next lyrics of “Numb Without You.”
So here’s what I need: I need three years of sitting inside, all that sh*t that you’ve built up, sitting in your computer chairs, sitting in your bed, sitting at home. I need three years of energy tonight, okay? —John O’Callaghan, lead singer of The Maine
And what’s even more cool is that at one point, he asked those at the front to create a mini mosh pit! It was so amazing how everyone just cooperated in a snap while having fun. John pointed at one person and asked them to dance around in the circle. And just as the band was about to hit the chorus again, everyone just jumped around while merging seamlessly together again, singing along to the song.
We must be dreaming…
Imagine being a fan and being asked to play on stage. Or maybe having the microphone given to you in the middle of singing your favorite The Maine song. Or having your phone taken by John, recording himself up close?
Well, some of us don’t have to imagine because ALL of these things happened to them last August 27! Gosh, how lucky they must be, right?
For instance, a fan held up a sign asking if they could play “Run” with The Maine. They even posted a TikTok playing “Run” on the electric guitar before the concert with the same sentiment! And not only did the band invite them on stage and jam with this lucky fan, they even asked the audience to chant their name, Lance, and stitched Lance’s TikTok with their own—sharing this iconic moment to all of The Maine’s followers.
@themaineband #stitch with @lanceethanyu Everyone give it up for Lance he absolutely crushed it. #concert #guitar #emo #fyp ♬ original sound - The Maine
Live debut of “Box In A Heart”
It all surprised us when we had our concert bands given to us before the show because a wall full of red and white posters greeted us upon entrance. And apart from giving us The Maine’s souvenir card, the organizers also gave us this tiny piece of paper (which some of us thought was a copy of the set list at first) containing lyrics of their upcoming song!
Many of us got excited by this because…could it be true? Are they really going to give us a live debut of their new song that hasn’t been out yet? And the answer is YES!
After performing “Diet Soda Society,” “Don’t Come Down,” and “Bad Behavior,” the band had a mini break to catch their breaths. And before the crowd knew it, the lights were dimmed and we were met with an unfamiliar but beautiful song about loving, living, and feeling like you’re dying, entitled “Box In A Heart.”
8123 MEANS EVERYTHING TO US!
Indeed, there were a lot of mind-blowing moments that happened during the concert. But for us, the most iconic and heartwarming moment was when Jared Monaco (lead guitarist), Pat Kirch (drummer), Kennedy Brock (rhythm guitarist), Garrett Nickelsen (bassist) stopped playing for a few seconds and the whole crowd sang along with The Maine’s frontrunner, John, and shouted “8123 MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME” during the band’s performance of “We All Roll Along” from their album “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop” back in 2008.
This moment undeniably hit the crowd with a wave of nostalgia, reminiscing of how The Maine journeyed with all of us in different ways beginning from 14 years ago. Imagine how beautifully overwhelming it was to be one of those fans in the crowd, not only jamming along with The Maine live, but also being with people who collectively shared similar experiences with the band throughout their lives. Truly awe-inspiring.
And then after a while, the band, along with the crowd, started to be extra nostalgic. The crowd chanted “Into Your Arms,” for The Maine to perform…and they made our request into reality. For those who don’t know, this song is arguably one of The Maine’s big hits from before and the song that made many of the now-fans discover them. This was followed by “Black Butterflies and Déjà Vu,” a song that made almost all of us rock our hearts out and tear up at the same time.
Of course, all good things must come to an end. And The Maine did it with the perfect song to close the live show (and transition to their meet & greet with everyone in the stadium). Ending the show with assurance from friends and the feeling of belongingness with “Another Night On Mars,” made us all feel less alien and loved by our favorite Arizona-based band, The Maine.
Because of these, it just made us more excited to grow more with The Maine and listen to their new music soon.
