Mayday Parade | Margaret Court Arena
On September 13 at The Hordern Pavilion in Moore Park, Sydney encountered extreme nostalgia and sentimentality. The room was taken back 20 years and filled with screaming and excited voices from the crowd.
Photo Credit: Selena Hema
The room was roaring and ready to go when The Home Team took over the stage. As Brian Butcher waltzed on stage the crowd had already begun to show their love and support. All members of the band had a high energy “shaking their little white boy butts” with everyone in the crowd. They played hit songs like ‘Brag’ and ‘Loud’ from their newest album ‘The Crucible of Life’ as well as ‘Slow Bloom’ and ‘Right Through me’ from the 2018 album ‘Slow Bloom (deluxe)’. The band expressed how thankful they were for the early attendance of everyone and overall the atmosphere was energetic and spirited for the 1st band on the bill.
Jacks Mannequin were next up and rocked it after a hefty 14 year hiatus from Australian performances. The moment you could hear the first few kicks of the drum the room swarmed with lively fans ready to dance and sing. Andrew McMahon captivated with the versatility of playing piano while remaining melodious. They opened their set with ‘Bruised’ and very quickly the crowd was jumping up and down with excitement. I found ‘Release Me’ to be a crowd favourite as I noticed a lot of hands waving around with screaming voices coming from all directions around me. They've made their mark and their comeback was a crowd pleaser.
Photo Credit: Selena Hema
Derek Sanders delivered a powerhouse performance with 20 of their greatest hits. This was a landmark performance featuring 2 decades of dedication to the art. He was very present and interactive with the crowd giving heartfelt performances. I can applaud the versatility of moving between high energy pop punk and more stripped back and emotionally moving songs.
The band leaned heavily into Nostalgia, playing songs from across their catalogue featuring songs from the 2006 EP ‘Tales Told by Dead Friends’ and 2007 studio album ‘Lesson in Romantics’. They definitely didn't ignore the new material and the set included songs from their latest EP ‘Sweet’ like ‘Pretty Good to Feel Something’. Even with some of the band's more downhearted songs like ‘Miserable At Best’ and ‘Stay’ the energy remained high and rambunctious.
The show also incorporated captivating graphics and video from earlier years which underscored the passage of time and gave us an insight into their journey as a band. Despite being 2 decades in, Mayday Parade still delivered youthful energy, large crowd engagement and moments where you could feel every voice in the room singing their hearts out. Derek also delivered an incredibly heartfelt message expressing their love for everybody regardless of race, gender and economic status before performing ‘Piece of Your Heart’.
Photo Credit: Selena Hema
The set closed with veteran hits ‘One Man Drinking Games’ and ‘Jamie All Over’. As the final notes faded and the stage emptied, it was clear that this wasn't just a show but a night of shared memories, passion and the kind of connection only music can make. For a band that has soundtracked so many lives, this was a reminder that some songs never lose their meaning no matter the amount of time that passes by.