The Maine is a modern rock band out of Phoenix, Arizona who like many other bands on Sad Summer, spent their formative years touring with Warped Tour. They are led by Lead singer and pianist, John O’Callaghan. He is a captivating performer who is not afraid to join his crowd throughout his performances. Before The Maine even hit The BayCare Sound stage, there was a stool placed in front of the barricade, so O’Callaghan could easily jump over.

They began their set with “Bad Behavior,” an upbeat, sassy song about relationships. Within two minutes, the lead singer was in the crowd hugging his fans and handing them the microphone to sing parts of the song. The fandom they have created with this behavior is one of kindness and familiarity. It is admirable how comfortable they are with any crowd they come across.

Since The Maine is a co-headliner on this tour, they had an entire set made, which was made up of white planters with pink, red and white flowers. This was aesthetically pleasing because of how well the pinks and white matched Sad Summer Festivals theming and decorations. The band also decided to dress in all white, which was also a nice touch.

The Maine continued their performance with new songs, “Blame” and “Touch,” which have more of a pop sound, compared to the rest of their more emo music. However, the pop vibe has brought them great success because these newer tracks have given them radio popularity for the first time in their career. 

They kept up the uplifting vibe with their ‘oldies,’ “Girls Do What They Want” and “Black Butterflies and Deja Vu.” This setlist was a pretty even mix of old and new The Maine hits. During “Girls Do What They Want,” as always, O’Callaghan chose someone from the crowd to come up on stage and sing the chorus with him. He chose a girl named Dani who had the time of her life on stage. As she left, he had everyone chant her name. 

The Maine closed their performance with “Loved You A Little,” another newer song featuring Taking Back Sunday and Charlotte Sands. This single has also brought them radio success and has found a home on their live show setlists. “Loved You A Little” is another pop rock track that has a gradual crescendo into the final chorus, which they had the crowd sing. This was a great choice to close out their night on the Sad Summer stage.

The Maine will finish up the summer touring in pink and white with the Sad Summer Festival until August 9. Come early for the chance to sing alongside John O’Callaghan!

Review & Photos by: Emily Tonnessen

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