I Sat In The Rain For Eight Hours To See Mayday Parade
Have you ever been so excited for a show that you are almost certain that it can not possibly live up to your expectations? That is how I felt about this year’s AP Tour. Mayday Parade as the headliners with Real Friends, This Wild Life, and As It Is supporting them. That is what my best friend, Molly, and I call the, “sad kid’s dream tour.” She bought me the ticket back in early September as a birthday present and worked the concert to get guest listed. Despite the fact that Molly was just as excited as I was to see all of these bands, she stuck by the typical birthday saying, “This is your day. What do you want to do?” I had one simple request. I wanted to be front row for Mayday Parade.
Because of this, we left my school suite at 10:50 am and took “the T,” over to North Shore and started towards Stage AE. At 11 am, we got comfortable to sit in the rain and the cold for eight hours until doors opened. We were joined by two of our friends and once doors open, Molly and I started straight for the last section of the front row that was available – all the way to the left – right in front of the speaker.
I’ll admit, I had absolutely no idea what to expect from the first band, AS IT IS. When this band took the stage, I was blown away. Patty was jumping around, swinging his microphone around his arms and neck with a huge smile on his face. Ben Biss was rocking out, headbanging when necessary – significantly less than Patty, but headbanging none the less. They started off their set with a song that is a huge middle finger to anyone who tries to break you and tear you down. It also was the perfect beginning. The crowd was into it. Everyone was screaming the words and jumping as this band from Brighton completely owned it.
They also did something that the pop-punk greats have mastered. “Can’t Save Myself,” was the sixth song on their set. It’s a truly intense song – not as in people were throwing elbows and pushing each other against barriers, but it was completely raw. I stood almost as far to the side as you could get and I looked around at a sold-out venue of people who could connect with that song. Some people were crying, others smiling, a few just taking it all in. No matter how they were experiencing it, almost everyone shouted back the chorus. “I can’t help the way my mind is hardwired to hate myself. I swear that this is hell, the way I desperately try to save myself. Because I can’t save myself.” The last two songs of their set were just as fast and fun and punch-the-air worthy and almost as soon as it was started – it was over. Although I only saw them for six songs, they definitely made a lasting impression.
As It Is brought their banner down and THIS WILD LIFE’s soon replaced it. I’ve always had a deep respect for This Wild Life. Putting aside the respect for Kevin Jordan’s seriously impressive beard and Anthony Del Grosso’s tattoo-covered body, they can move you. Whether you’re screaming the words about an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend, quietly singing about someone battling something awful, or dancing along to a song about a puppy – you’re inclined to feel something.
I’ve had the pleasure of hearing This Wild Life play a few songs at Warped Tour but I haven’t ever gotten to hear their whole set before. Starting with “Ripped Away,” everyone knew it was now time for something completely different. Two guys standing on a stage and playing guitars quickly captured the hearts of everyone in that venue. About five songs in, Kevin announced they were about to play, Kendrick Lamar’s, “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe.” Although I was excited when that was announced, I was even more stoked as they broke out into the familiar tune of Bring Me The Horizon’s “Sleepwalking.” After that was then they had what I like to call an “indie movie moment.”
Kevin introduces the song, “No More Bad Days.” He says his mother went through a few sessions of chemo-therapy. He wrote this song for her – a dedicated mother and bad-ass at heart. He requests everyone gets out their cell phone lights, and they turn all stage and house lights off. He and Anthony were illuminated by the devices as they sang a song of support and love. I talk to my mom almost every other day. We’re close. Listening to this song, I was moved to tears. I suddenly just wished my mom was there with me – even though I’m pretty sure she would have hated it. I wanted to hug her and tell her I loved her. I felt sad. I felt vulnerable. I felt moved. Isn’t that the whole point?
One banner came down. Another banner took it’s place. This banner, said: “REAL FRIENDS: Wow, what a great day.” I’ve been a fan of Real Friends for a while. They are my go-to band when I’ve had a bad day. That isn’t necessarily because their songs are full of positivity and happiness, because they’re not for the most part. The reason is because they make me feel like I’m not alone. The first song they played was “Cover You Up,” and Molly screamed the words as loud as she could, jumping against the barricade and shoving her fist in the air. Dan Lambton started jumping around the stage, screaming words with such conviction that it tugged on every one of your heart-strings. There were three songs that I saw the biggest reaction. One of them was the opening song, obviously. About halfway through their set, Real Friends surged into “I Don’t Love You Anymore.” The third song was the second to last song in their set, “I’ve Given Up On You.”
One thing that I think is worth mentioning is that every word, every chord, every drum beat held emotion. Everyone who was on that stage had been in that position before – even if they hadn’t, it seemed like they had. For every raw and emotional lyric that Dan sang out into his microphone, 2,400 people were screaming the words right back at him. As I looked around, people were crying with their hands stretched out towards the stage, creating an odd feeling of familiarity. You weren’t alone here. You were with people just like you. You were with friends whom you’ve never met before and it was eye-opening.
Once Real Friends finished their set, another banner fell with Mayday Parade’s taking its place. The crew uncovered rows and rows of lights and almost reading my mind, Molly leaned over and said, “They’re recreating ‘Jamie, All Over.” As the guys took the stage, the crowd screamed louder than ever, and Mayday Parade started the set with “One Of Them Will Destroy The Other,” bringing Dan back on stage. One of the things I love about Mayday Parade is that as their albums progressed, you saw band growth and sound development and they really show that in their live show too. They started with a song off of their new album, “Black Lines,” and went straight back to “A Lesson in Romantics,” with the song “Jamie All Over.”
Their set was spectacular and made me realize quite a few things: Brooks Betts is diligent in making sure every fan is seen, walking over to us (at the very end of the stage). Alex Garcia has not aged. It’s weird. I think he might be a vampire. His guitar skills are still on point though. Jeremy Lenzo plays his heart out with every song and you can tell. Every member does but there are these certain moments during a show where you look over and see him and he is so into it, you can’t help but smile. Derek’s voice was tremendous, as usual. It holds a perfect match of strength and vulnerability, which is hard to explain but is true. He doesn’t need to shout the lyrics at you for you to understand the intention and he doesn’t need to break down into tears to move you. Also, Jake Bundrick’s voice is a perfect match with Derek’s. I have seen Mayday Parade in concert a few times but never as a headliner and I was impressed. The last thing I noticed is that the reason I’ve stuck with Mayday Parade the last 10 years, it wasn’t just about the music.
Before they played “Terrible Things,” Derek addressed the crowd, not for the first time that night but for one of the most important times. He stood up on stage and talked about what all too many of us have experienced. He told us that it’s okay to be sad, and everyone get’s sad sometimes. “You just have to promise to be happy later.” Because of that speech and the song that played directly after, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. I don’t think that the reason they were crying is because they didn’t know but sometimes it’s just nice to be reminded. The last song of the regular set was, of course, “Miserable at Best.” Derek played piano and Jake sat behind his drum kit, singing along. There were few lights shining on the crowd and a spotlight on Derek as he sang. When it came to the final chorus, it was our turn. We all started to sing along and slowly both Derek and Jake stepped off stage, leaving only the sound of 2,400 singing a song in complete harmony. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced and if I had my phone out is something I would have saved forever.
Let me try to explain what this show meant to me, although I’m not sure that this could do it justice. When I was at this show, I didn’t once think of the article I had to write for my reporting class the next day. When I was at this show I wasn’t worried if the boy that I had a crush on was going to text me back or not. When I was at this show I wasn’t making a list of things that I had to get done before I stepped into my internship on Tuesday afternoon. I was with my best friend listening to music that my parents would have hated written about subjects that I’m not sure they would understand but my friends and I did. I was surrounded with people just like me who connected with things just like I did. I was at my home away from home and I was okay.
