Mayday Parade
El Corazon, Seattle, WA
11.04.14
Lovable Florida boys Mayday Parade traded palm trees for evergreens on Tuesday, making a stop at a very cozy El Corazon, where a packed house waited eagerly to greet them. Founded in Tallahassee circa 2005, this group has all the trademarks of infectious alt-punk sounds paired with catchy yet grounded lyrics. Social anxiety, miserable romance, broken friendship – universal experiences tackled with a striking sensitivity by front man Derek Sanders. And let’s not forget that this is the Honeymoon Tour, so named in honor of bassist Jeremy Lenzo’s recent hitchin’. Question if I think Mayday Parade is worth keeping around, continually married to my playlist? I do.
As if any space remained, folks came from the woodwork as the clock ticked down to showtime. There was a certain stir in the air, generally created by the younger faces in the crowd. Ranging from eight to 30-something, the look of a decade-long musical trek was visible in mature faces, while the majority of the audience was late-teens young. Between the stage and the floor, energy ran high as Sanders and co. began their set with “Jersey.” Mayday Parade ran the marathon, jumping along and jamming out to deafening cheers. White and blue lights remained steady through a room devoid of fog; no cheap tricks, just the music. Momentum remained even as Sanders sat down to his keyboard, playing “Miserable at Best” and “Three Cheers for Five Years” back to back. An enthusiastic crowd sang along to every word. He was personable, even accessible, as he spoke these words to their fans: “When we first started, I can only think of one reason, and it was because we loved music… It’s been nine years now, and you guys keep giving us reason to come back time and time again. To anybody going through some tough times, you gotta’ go through the tough times to get to the good times.” We’ll count this evening in the latter.
Mayday Parade Set List:
Jersey
Kids in Love
When You See My Friends
Girls
Ocean and Atlantic
Hold Onto Me
Terrible Things
Ghosts
When I Get Home, You’re So Dead
Hear the Sound
Miserable at Best
Three Cheers for Five Years
Oh Well, Oh Well
Black Cat
Encore:
Happy Endings Are Stories That Haven’t Ended Yet
Jamie All Over
Review by T. Monte
Photos by Sunny Martini
Mayday Parade
