The last time The Maine headlined in Charlotte, North Carolina was over 1,000 days ago—March 27th, 2022 in a venue more than two times smaller than the one they played this past week. On April 23, they finally came back to Charlotte and this time, it was at The Fillmore.
The first of three openers, Moody Joody, was a pop trio based out of Nashville, Tennessee. It was their first night on tour, which they made sure to announce to the room, and they really set high expectations. Their energy was unmatched, full of excited jitters that worked with their soft, building energy. Kayla Hall and Kaitie Forbes both have incredibly powerful voices that mix beautifully together. The cherry on top of their top notch set was the performance of their new song “Little Blue House” that releases on May 6th. Be sure to keep your eye on Moody Joody!
Grayscale delivered their typical punchy Philadelphia rock set as they started with “Through The Landslide” and played songs that span their entire discography. “Painkiller Weather”, “Dirty Bombs”, and “Fever Dream” were certainly highlights and crowd favorites.
Nightly seemingly only gets better with every opportunity to watch them perform. Their energy is electric and makes you want to move your hips, dance around unapologetically, and sing along. A stand out moment was singer Jonathan Capeci’s admission that they are a completely independent band. Learning that information really sets them apart as an impressive trio. Right after Capeci’s speech, the band played “Twenty Something” and it only becomes more raw and real with every performance. Ending the set with “hate my favorite band” got the crowd dancing and singing along in the most perfect crescendo.
When it finally came time for The Maine, the room was ready, buzzing with excited energy as the elaborate stage setup came to life with an extra tiered platform and even a couch. They’ve been changing up the first song of the setlist so it was really a toss up, but when “Thoughts I Have While Lying in Bed” started, the crowd erupted into cheers and sang the lyrics so loud, it was almost impossible to hear John O’Callaghan’s vocals.
As a band with ten albums that span across (almost) twenty years, there are a lot of options and opportunities to play heavy hitters. “My Heroine” and “Kennedy Curse” really stood out in this case. There were also common setlist staples like “Sticky” and “Slip the Noose”.
As this tour celebrates the release of their newest album Joy Next Door, they made sure to play songs from the record to highlight it. “Die to Fall” was the first single from the record and with it being early in the setlist, it really set the tone for the rest of the night. “Palms” is such a stand out track of the record and it’s even more of a special moment live. The album has only been out for two weeks, yet the entire crowd knew the words and sang along.
Seeing The Maine live is a feeling that will never get old, even as we all get physically older and are in different stages of life. They are a timeless band that has been there through so many moments and memories. They truly are the soundtrack of so many lives and the love is so tangible in the entire venue.
8123 really does mean everything to me.
