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The Maine's Authentic Performance in Philadelphia

On May 9, 2015, The Maine brought “The American Candy Spring Tour” to the Electric Factory, Philadelphia.

The tour is in support of the bands’ fifth album, American Candy, which was released March 31, 2015. The album debuted at number 37 on the Billboard 200 and successfully combined the bands’ signature fun, youthfulness with their raspier, serious rock n’ roll side. The release earned 4/5 stars for Alternative Press Magazine and 9.5/10 from Under the Gun Review.

The band opened with a large, lighted “M” and surged right into the first track off their new album, “Miles Away.” With that same energy, the song meshed into “Run.”

Unlike the opening bands before them, The Maine didn’t cause circle-pits and thrashing audience members, but put on a laid back and still energized show.

Lead singer, John O’Callaghan, cut into the third song right before the chorus by adding a personal touch and telling the audience that there were “no cool kids here.” O’Callaghan’s comments and thoughts were laced throughout the rest of the show, as well.

When the rest of the band disappeared from stage, leaving O’Callaghan with an acoustic guitar, he opened the room to a brief and joking Q&A.

Just before the end of "Into Your Arms", he stopped the song and stated, “I don’t have much to say other than: I know it’s a f*cking platitude, I know it’s a cliché but ya’ll make me seriously believe that anything I want to do in this world is f*cking possible. So I encourage you to feel the same way, my friends.”

Aspects similar to this occurred throughout the concert, such as O’Callaghan also thanking the crowd after almost every song, made the experience authentic and enjoyable.

The Electric Factory's capacity is slightly larger than the venue The Maine visited on their "The Maine Presents: The Pioneer World Tour" show in 2012, and they were able to engage the audience and get the crowd to sing along no matter the size.

The concert also put emphasis on each of the band members. Garrett Nickelson, lead bass, took the microphone and sang a brief cover, and guitarist Jared Monaco had a spotlighted solo during another of the covers. The band meshed and shared the stage well with one another, something that tends to disappear in other performances.

The last time I saw The Maine was on their tour cycle for their third record, Pioneer, and I had nothing but good memories from it. This second show didn’t disappoint – the band executed the songs with effortlessness and sounded just as good as their studio versions.