A sold out crowd at The Van Buren in Phoenix raised their collective glasses to 20 years of Mayday Parade when the band made their Three Cheers For Twenty Years tour stop this week. The show was a celebration of these two decades of incredible music from a longtime staple band in the scene and they treated their dedicated audience to songs from each era of their history.
The pit started jumping when Grayscale took the stage as they are also Arizona favorites and always draw quite the crowd when they come to visit. They only had a brief time to perform in the middle of this four band bill but they made the most of every moment, adding “In Violet”, “Fever Dream” and more to the tightly curated setlist. Fans were thrilled to welcome the group back to the desert and sent them off with loud cheers for the final notes of “Not Afraid to Die”.
The Atlanta rockers in Microwave brought a heavier element to this tour, holding nothing back during their powerful set. Singer Nathan Hardy spoke sparingly between songs and threw everything into his vocal performance on songs like “Drown” and “Straw Hat”. They were the perfect direct support for this lineup, hyping up the audience before the evening’s eagerly anticipated headliner.
Since 2005, Mayday Parade has been a constant and consistent presence in the scene- from summers on the Warped Tour to yearly cross country and international routes, fans have never wanted for more from this band. They’ve built up an impressive discography over these many years, pushing the boundaries of their sound while always staying true to their roots and this was never more apparent than on this anniversary run. Starting from the beginning, Mayday worked their way through each era, adding songs from every album and EP into a lengthy setlist that truly had something for everyone.
The hits- “Jersey”, “Anywhere But Here”, “Miserable at Best”- all made an appearance but it was the deep cuts that sparked emotional responses from the fans. Of course, singer Derek Sanders couldn’t help but tug on our heartstrings with the soft piano on “Terrible Things” but they didn’t let people cry for long as the band launched right into the self-titled era of their catalog.
They also made sure to include the openers in their set, bringing out Like Roses’ Amy Schmalkuche for “Never Sure”, Microwave’s Nathan Hardy for “Who’s Laughing Now” and Grayscale’s Collin Walsh for the final encore of “Jamie All Over”. Being able to celebrate multiple decades of bands like Mayday Parade is a treat for fans who have grown up alongside this music and let it weave into the past and current fabric of their lives. Mayday Parade has never taken that love and support for granted and this tour was as much a tribute to the fans as it was to the music and the promise of many more years to come.
