“This should not be allowed,” lead singer 37-year-old John O’Callaghan said to the crowd in Los Angeles over the weekend. What he was referring to was the nearly 20 year career that Phoenix, AZ emo, punk, rock, and whatever genre they’re feeling for a particular album group The Maine has built since their origin in 2007. The longevity that the group has sustained throughout the course of nine albums—soon to be ten—is not normal for most musicians in today’s industry, let alone a group of five best friends who started playing music together in high school (O’Callaghan auditioned to be the lead singer with no prior vocal experience. The rest is history).
Since the band’s origin, they’ve toured around the world with artists like All Time Low, Mayday Parade, Taking Back Sunday, Fall Out Boy, and many others. They’ve launched their own record label called 8123, which has become a hub for fans to contribute to a variety of fundraising and volunteer opportunities, and more, as well as access to affordable ticket pricing for live shows. They’ve helped create not one, but two different music festivals: Sad Summer Fest and 8123 Fest: both of which have had major success with fans and artists alike, showcasing what a band with a powerful, dedicated fanbase can accomplish.
I’ve been following The Maine’s career since roughly 2008, I was 14-years-old, fresh into my pop punk phase, and just gaining the confidence to walk into a Hot Topic without any fear. I wore bright purple and yellow skinny jeans, built a collection of band t-shirts (from Hot Topic, obvi), and started to regularly ask my parents to drive me into the city on a weeknight to see a show. The first time I saw The Maine was when they toured with All Time Low and Mayday Parade: a bill that looking back, was pretty iconic of the times.
The “I Love You But I Chose The Maine” tour kicked off last week in Vegas featuring support from Franklin Jonas & The Byzantines, (yes, the youngest Jonas brother has his own musical project now), Grayscale, and Nightly. Other artists on later dates of the tour include Broadside and Moody Joody. The show, which took place at The Novo in Los Angeles, which was also the band’s first headlining show in LA in three years.
With nine albums released and their tenth dropping in less than two weeks, it’s safe to say that The Maine has more than enough songs to choose from when it comes to building a set list. The band has made this process interactive before, including having fans vote for specific songs to be included. So I knew going into this show that there would be some wildcards thrown into the mix, and felt like the show had a great representation of the band’s discography over the years: they played songs from every album except American Candy, which, unfortunately for me, is probably my favorite album of theirs. The last time I saw The Maine perform was at Sad Summer Fest in 2021: which was a shorter, non-headlining set that was still quintessentially “The Maine” but not the same experience as seeing them at their own show.
Clocking in for the 90-minute set promptly at 9:15pm, The Maine opened with “thoughts i have while lying in bed” from their 2023 self-titled album: a fittingly introspective entry point that immediately set the tone for a set that balances vulnerability and upbeat spectacle. “You’re at a rock show! You don’t have to: but stand up if you want!” John shouted to the balcony section, whose inhabitants happily obliged. A new song, “Die To Fall,” was performed early into the evening, which is also my favorite single ahead of the new album.
Tracks like “Sticky” (a song that I’m still convinced could have been a radio hit) and “Like We Did (Windows Down)” injected a nostalgic energy into the room, while “Taxi” and “Touch” leaned into the band’s more polished, emotionally resonant side. Deeper cuts like “Kennedy Curse” and “Inside of You” earned some of the loudest reactions of the night: proof that The Maine fans will show up and show out for the throwbacks of the set lists.
Other set highlights included an appearance from Charlotte Sands to perform “Loved You A Little,” fan participation during “We All Roll Along,” which was the oldest song included in the performance (2008), and a cameo from one of the band’s crew member’s sons, Remy, during “Quiet Part Loud.”
By the time the band closed with “Black Butterflies and Déjà Vu,” it felt less like the end of a set and more like the end of a DIY jam session crafted by people who not only genuinely love each other, but love the music and the world that they’ve built together. What they’ve created goes beyond albums or tours, it’s communal: something shared.
Photos by Salma Bustos
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