Arizona fans took a little trip south on a school night to see The Maine’s Tour Next Door kickoff show at La Rosa in Tucson. The repurposed church stage transformed into the Phoenix quintet’s pulpit as the band played two distinct sets in celebration of a new album and nearly 20 years as Arizona’s favorite band.
Pop-rock project Hellogoodbye- led by charismatic frontman Forrest Kline- lit up the stage dome in an array of bright colors for a flashy set that was all fun and no filler. The sold out room was already stuffed to the edges and Kline came prepared to get everyone dancing to the classics. Hands flew up in the air when “Here in Your Arms” kicked in with a groove that took the majority millennial audience right back to the MySpace days of 2006. Kline and his friends pulled out songs from every era of the band and good-naturedly worked through some first night of tour technical difficulties for a set that was a purely good time. The performance ended with the undeniably catchy “Touchdown Turnaround” and had the room primed for the headliner.
The buzz in the room lowered to a hush as The Maine took the stage for the quiet part of their two part set. Soft, warm colors transformed the stage as the band kicked off a setlist of fan favorites transformed into acoustic guitar and piano driven tracks. From the normally peppy “Bad Behavior” to a dreamy cover of Shania Twain’s “You’re Still the One”, The Maine once again found a way to transform their vast catalog into something completely fresh and new. Naturally, the band was goofy between songs, bantering with each other and the fans before rounding out the first part of the show with the apt “How to Exit a Room”.
“What’s the vibe!?” shouted vocalist John O’Callaghan after a quick intermission brought the band back out to really get the party going with the live debut of “Half a Spark”. The audience was ready to match their energy, dancing even in the packed room and making space for O’Callaghan to jump in the middle later in the set.
The Maine- composed of O’Callaghan, Pat Kirch, Garrett Nickelsen, Jared Monaco and Kennedy Brock- has always been a joy to watch onstage and Thursday night was no exception. The smiles on the faces of the band were reflected tenfold in the crowd and- to answer O’Callaghan’s earlier question- the vibes were perfect. The band pulled out some of their loudest, most danceable songs from every era, including the irresistible beat of “Touch” and the soaring chorus of “Identify”.
Their latest album was also shown plenty of love on “Die to Fall”, “Palms” and another live debut for “3:31”. Longtime fans of the band knew every word to every song, clapping in sync during “Dose no. 2” and adlibbing perfectly for the “Am I Pretty” signature call and response. After teasingly threatening to play 2,000 more songs, the night came to an always reluctant end with “Black Butterflies and Déjà Vu”. La Rosa may have been the most appropriate venue for a band like The Maine as they certainly took Tucson to church in their own way. Many made the drive from hours away and from the smiles on fans’ faces after the show, it’s a journey they’ll continue to make again and again.
