Live review: Mayday Parade live at Starland Ballroom

Sayreville, NJ – 1 December 2023

Jersey just got warmer

There’s something special about December shows.  It might be the finality of the year and everyone being ready to close out the year strong, it might be the heat of a pulsing crowd in glaring opposition to the winter chill outside, hell it could just be holiday magic… but its something and its palpable.  Starland Ballroom has become my favorite venue for December shows over the last few years thanks to recent holiday extravaganzas from Taking Back Sunday and last year’s reunion shows from Midtown, the alchemists at the club just amp things up for the last month of the year.  So here I am, preparing for the first stop on Mayday Parade’s winter tour and ready to see what sorcery is on its way.

Didn’t have to wait long for the magic to strike, as Philly’s Sweet Pill stepped onto the stage and immediately set the table for a top-tier show, in spite of multiple apologies for a hoarse voice.  My amazing buddy Jared was kind enough to turn me on to the outstanding record Where The Heart Is last year, so my anticipation was at a fever pitch but that wasn’t the case for everyone.  It was clear there were some in the crowd who hadn’t acquainted themselves with the quintet, it didn’t take long for them to realize what they’ve been missing out on because… good gravy, Sweet Pill put on a brilliant performance!  Yeah, the band sounded great, the songs were amazing and everything you’d want but holy fuck, the stage presense was off the chains.  

With a rhythm section driving the sounds and dual guitarists preternaturally in sync, frontperson Zayna Youssef stomps, shuffles and two-steps all over the stage, connecting with every pair of eyes in the building from beneath her bangs.  Equal parts Henry and Hayley and 100% original, Youssef shines as a charmingly chaotic siren of the next wave of emo with the chops to perfectly harmonize with every riff and the power to belt out an aggressive growl and shriek where needed.  The band did seem to cut things short, and I wish the set was longer… but that’s just another reason to catch them the next time they come through. The short exit did also disappoint me that there’d be a gap that was too long for my entitled ass to wait and too short for my old ass to nap, but Origami Angel took the stage early and the inconvenience was minor at worst.

It was striking to see the sparsity of the stage when the DC duo, Origami Angel took over after Sweet Pill filled the boards.  With three less bodies to fill the stage, it seemed things could be going in the wrong direction, but the ‘Gami Gang had no intentions of disappointing.  They certainly did not let anyone down and in the spirit of Starland holiday magic, these dudes let their killer riffs and technically perfect drum skills fill the stage with a fuller sound than any orchestra could hope to.I’m generally not into the idea of a two-piece on stage because it kills the stage presene.  How can your band move around when one person is leashed to a drum kit and the only other person on stage is tethered to a mic stand.  Well, the thing here is, OA prove none of that shit has to matter if you kick this much ass.  

This pair brought the summery jams to the Xmas tree adorned stage. This is a definite performance of the year candidate for me. I’m not saying their live show makes The Brightest Days a better record (its already pretty fantastic), but it definitely solidified the record’s placement toward the top of my best of list this year. 

The speakers pumped in the entirety of All I Want For Christmas after the screen raised, followed by a clever retelling of The Night Before Christmas, I will call The Night Before Mayday Parade. Whoever wrote it probably has a much more witty title, but it’s the best I’ve got at the moment.

Mayday Parade blasted off with a barrage of hits starting with “Jamie All Over” and closing, aptly enough, with “Jersey.” Between the opening and closing, the 5 piece flexed and jumped onto stage risers while frontman Derek Sanders and his hair bounced and pointed and made the magic hit the crowd like an avalanche. The joy that’s written all over Sanders’ face when he’s on stage with the band fam and looking out to everyone singing along is nothing short of delightful.

A mid-set intermission, with another narrated, Mayday Parade-themed holiday tale before Sanders took found himself alone at the piano… but who needs a full band when you have a choir of fans singing along to “Three Cheers To Five Years,” “Miserable At Best” and the heart-wrenching “Terrible Things.” The band rejoined Sanders at the baby grand for “Ghosts” and “Stay.”

After the crowd favorite “I’d Hate to Be You When People Find Out What This Song Is About” and a brief (but sincere and important it gets better psa) the band broke into the anthemic “When You See My Friends” and the floor vibrated with each and every note as the crowd joined into every verse with all their might.

“After “Get Up” another narration played through as the band regrouped and recouped before the final songs. With “Oh Well, Oh Well” Sanders had the chance to show off his vocal prowess with the unaccompanied opening before the band came out with an energy that hadn’t dipped from the first cord of the show. New Jersey didn’t need much warming up, but when MP kicked off the apt “Jersey” the collective temp in the room went up 20⁰, in spite of the lyrics.  When the show closed out, the crowd was caffeinated by the endorphins and energy shared from that stage.

The buzz continued well after the band closed and the venue cleared, with countless concert goers milling about outside in the frigid winter air, steam rising off the heads and visions of the show dancing their heads.  Mayday Parade came to celebrate the winter and sent a flame down the East Coast.