Pop-punk mainstays The Maine celebrated their 15th anniversary as a band this past Monday, April 4th at Webster Hall. The band last played in NYC back in August 2021 as part of the Sad Summer Festival, but the show at Webster Hall was The Maine’s first NYC headline in over four years. Overjoyed to be playing a club in the city again, singer John O’Callaghan thanked the fans for their longstanding support and treated them to a career spanning setlist.
As the house lights went down, archetypal party song “Sweet Caroline” played over the PA as The Maine filed onto the Webster Hall stage. The song provides a perfect segway into the opening track from their 2021 LP XOXO: From Love & Anxiety In Real Time, “Sticky,” which references the Neil Diamond anthem. Staying true to their Southwest roots, light-up cowboy hats were on sale at the merch table, and have been a crucial part of the band’s merch package for many years. Looking around Webster Hall you found dozens of these hats as well as fan-made versions lighting up the room. Going along with the passion of The Maine’s fan community known as “8123,” the crowd exploded with energy as the band played the first notes of “We All Roll Along” from their debut Can’t Stop Won’t Stop.
The Maine’s latest record was released last summer, and the band spent the second half of 2021 on tour supporting All Time Low; a tour that stopped at NYC’s Pier 17 for the Sad Summer Fest back in August. The current headlining tour (which began in January) is the first time the band is able to fully flesh out the new songs and mix them into their classics. Mixing nostalgia and with the reality of today, John told an anecdote of losing his wallet at The Knitting Factory while asking the audience to pay tribute to his baby who was in attendance clad in earmuffs at the sound table.
The band cruised through a 16-song setlist that touched on all of their albums and various singles. In the last leg of the show, The Maine introduced Taking Back Sunday frontman Adam Lazzara as well as opening artist Charlotte Sands onto stage to perform their latest collaborative single “Loved You A Little.” Released back in January the song is a classic emo/pop-punk anthem featuring vocals from the three singers. Adam, Charlotte, and John from The Maine are all individually powerful vocalists that command a room, but on “Loved You A Little” the three are mixed so well and create a unified sound as if they were all in the same band.
The Maine maintain a busy tour schedule through the month of April and ending on a somewhat hometown show in Prescott, AZ on April 30th. The band also has two festival appearances at SO WHAT!? as well as the meme-famous When We Were Young Festival in Las Vegas. Head over to The Maine’s website for the full itinerary and check out NYS Music’s photo gallery from the Webster Hall show below.
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