05/06/2017 – House of Blues, Chicago, IL.
Time and time again we see bands calling it quits after years of creating music, solely for the fact that their fanbase is primarily younger girls. And if the band doesn’t quit, they completely revamp their sound and look in hopes of attracting new listeners. The Maine, however, has opted to create a family with their fans. Because of their efforts to stay grounded and to constantly try and meet as many people as they can, they have fans that have grown with them through the years, fans who are now parents or fans who brought their parents into the 8123 family. All of this was clearly seen at their show in Chicago, IL on May 6th. Stepping in, the room was packed as it was a sold out show. The opening acts received a lot of love–something you don’t often see because people don’t always pay attention. But once the intro to “Lovely” came on, the crowd screamed until the drums that kick off “Black Butterflies” and “Déjà Vu” came on and the band hit the stage. The night was full of dancing and singing at the top of your lungs, with the stage set up making it look like we were outside in a much more intimate setting. With a nice mix of songs in the setlist (although the fangirl in me wishes they would have played Taxi), there was a song for everyone. The Maine are one of the hidden gems in the music industry. They created the type of family that will welcome you with open arms and will not judge you for not knowing the words to their songs, the type of family that cheers you on stage even if you do a screamo version of their songs. I cannot wait to see them on their new tour with Dashboard Confessional and The All American Rejects this summer.