Mayday Parade is one of my personal favorite bands. From my teen years to my time as a young adult, there music has been the soundtrack to so many of my memories, along with millions of other people’s. I’ve seen them live multiple times, but I’ve got to say, their October 23 show in Salt Lake City, Utah was their best I’ve seen so far.
The show started with a band that we’ve fallen in love with recently called Oh, Weatherly, and they were the absolute best opener. Our only regret is that their set wasn’t longer, but luckily, every song was a banger and got the crowd more pumped with each one. My favorite that they performed was Dark Of The Night, which is very personal and holds a deeper meaning to countless fans, and even the lead singer himself, Derek Rose. I also got to meet him after the show, and I’ve got to say, he seems like such a genuine guy, which makes me an even bigger fan. They are full of talent and we are beyond excited to see how far they go!
The second opener (out of three) was William Ryan Key. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because he was, at one time, the lead singer for a little band called Yellowcard. Growing up with Ocean Avenue being one of my favorite songs, this was like a dream-come-true for my little emo heart. He was accompanied by Anthony Del Grosso, the other half of acoustic rock band, This Wild Life, who was the third and final act to take the stage before Mayday Parade performed. Since his time with Yellowcard, William has ventured into a solo career, and we were lucky enough to see his new material live and in action. While we wish that the music had been a bit more lively to keep us pumped for the duration of the show, there’s no doubt that he’s got talent.
As mentioned earlier, This Wild Life was the third opening act, and it was very exciting to see them live for the second time. They’re so much fun, always interacting with the crowd, and mostly focusing the show on their amazing vocal talents.They played a lot of singles from their newest album, Petaluma, and my only complaint is that they didn’t play my two favorite songs. Luckily, they made up for it by playing Westside, Catie Rae, and Hold You Here, which are always crowd pleasers.
Finally, it was time for the headliners to take the stage. While it’s not the first time, it never fails to surprise me when Derek Sanders performs barefoot. Does he not worry about stubbing a toe? Anyway, as always, he was on-key throughout the entire show. Vocals, instrumentals, lights, everything was perfect through every song. And the crowd. Went. Wild. Mosh pits? Those were happening. Crowd surfing? Almost non-stop. And it was exhilarating. They sang songs from every album, and didn’t cut any corners by playing pointless songs. My favorite performance of the night was Anywhere But Here, but I may a little impartial considering that is my all-time song by the band.
All-in-all, the concert was absolutely incredible in every way, and there was no shortage of excitement throughout the entire show. If you ever have a chance to see them live, I highly suggest taking the opportunity.
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