The Maine light up the stage at History

There was a collective energy at The Maine’s April 15 show in Toronto’s east end; something palpable. Perhaps it was the Phoenix, Arizona band’s nearly two decades of music that have narrated many-a-fan’s life, or maybe it was their affable onstage presence at History. Whatever the reason, the show felt both nostalgic and celebratory amidst their latest album release and blend of both young and old(er) emo concert-goers alike. 

The five-piece band opened the set with “Another Night on Mars,” a 2015 track that speaks to the importance of friends. Immediately, I was struck by frontman John O’Callaghan’s confident, melodic swagger that was reminiscent of The National’s Matt Berninger; wiry and composed with a sleek aesthetic. There was an ease with the band’s onstage banter – something friendly and playful. Aesthetically, the neon and monochromatic backdrop felt like a throwback to a mid-2010 band, à la the 1975. 

The set moved fluidly between songs, including upbeat tracks like “Die to Fall” and more melancholic tunes like “Taxi”. During the latter, O’Callaghan called upon lighters and cellphone flashlights to help build the emo-biance. Though sonically, the band is varied, each song seemed to land with a level of recognition and genuine joy across the crowd. In fact, one concert-goer noted that it was her fiftieth show. (Talk about loyalty!). A personal favourite was the track, “Quiet Part Loud”, which is a beautiful, slowed-down love ballad, throughout which the frontman took to the onstage couch. 

Fun moments included a spontaneous happy birthday to an audience member, along with O’Callaghan crowd surfing into the centre of the room. While the frontman oozes gregarity, the whole band created connection and rapport with the crowd, making for a well-rounded performance.

The Maine hails from the MySpace era, but has managed to remain relevant and connected to the younger generations by playing music that lands and is a lot of fun to see live.