Review: The Maine

In advance of their sixth studio album (Lovely, Little, Lonely out April 7, 2017 on 8123), The Maine set out on the "Lovely, Little, Lonely World Tour" and the band stopped by Portland's Wonder Ballroom on April 4, days before the release of the album. Out of all the tours, albums, and eras, these guys have never looked or sounded better than they do for Lovely, Little, Lonely.

The stage setup was beautiful, and perhaps is the most intricate and flashy stage the band has had. Behind them was a large red banner with the band name and outline of a rose, LED trees were placed at each corner, scattered across the floor of the stage were multicolored faux roses, these roses were also stitched together and draped over the front of the elevated drum set, and the band's lead vocalist (John O'Callaghan) performed in a floral suit.

What I associate The Maine with the most is their loyal fanbase, their devotion and gratitude to their fans, and the best audience interaction I have seen at a show. Typically, bands will interact with the audience as a whole and ask them to sing along and repeat after them; however, The Maine's lead vocalist John O'Callaghan takes this to a different level. John interacts with individual groups and people in the audience: asking the crowd to quiet down while he asks individual people to sing along, acknowledging and carrying out onstage conversations with audience members, and even inviting a single person to join him onstage. During the band's performance of "Girls Do What They Want," John asked a fan named Mason if he could join him onstage to finish the song. John asked Mason to repeat and sing the chorus after him, and even gave Mason the microphone to continue singing while John jumped and danced around on stage.

For the shows before the release of Lovely, Little, Lonely, the band created a well balanced setlist spanning their entire discography. The Maine opened with their single "black butterflies & déjà vu", and performed other songs that have been missing from setlists such as: "(un)lost", "we all roll along", and "the way we talk".

As they always do, to close the night the band met with fans outside The Wonder Ballroom for a free, intimate, meet and greet. Each band member had prolonged conversations with every fan that came up to them, thanked them for coming out to the show, took pictures, and signed any merch they had brought. Especially with the growing popularity of VIP tickets and paid meet and greets, this is a rarity for bands and is one of the endless reasons The Maine is something special.

Find more dates and tickets for The Maine's Lovely, Little, Lonely World Tour on their website.

Review: Panic! At the Disco

Panic! At the Disco is on tour celebrating the release of 2016's album Death of a Bachelor and delivered an incredible live performance in Portland, Oregon. Before their show at Portland's Moda Center, frontman Brenden Urie tweeted he woke up with a fever of 103 but had no plans to cancel the show. Even with a fever, Brenden Urie's voice and vocal range is unwavering.

Gotta temp of 103. No voice. Still gonna have fun on stage tonight. Fuck a cancellation. Let's do this, Portland. 🤘🏼

— Brendon Urie (@brendonurie) March 23, 2017

Missing from the band's previous 2016 Summer tour with Weezer and Andrew McMahon was the visual spectacle that was added to this tour. The stage set up was complete with giant monitors fixed to the stage behind the band, overhanging and moving monitors above them, confetti, pyrotechnics, lights, and of course the spectacle pictured below. Partway through the concert Brendon left the stage while the audience was transfixed by a prerecorded video displayed on the monitors, and reappeared in the center of the stadium to perform a piano based "This Is Gospel." Brendon softly sang and played the song, as the piano slowly ascended higher and confetti fell around him. After his solo ballad, Brendon walked through the crowd singing "Death of A Bachelor" as he made his way back to the stage to join the rest of Panic! At the Disco.

Of course, Brendon Urie's stage presence was more impressive than every aspect of the visuals. Panic! At the Disco sounded better than ever, and put on an incredible show and performance. What was most impressive was Brendon's ability to perform the show through his fever, without staggering once. There were times when Brendon would give monologues inbetween songs, most notably after the band's performance of "Girls/Girls/Boys." During, images of Ellen DeGeneres, Anderson Cooper, Ru Paul and Lady Gaga were displayed behind the band as fans placed cutouts of paper hearts over their phones to create a rainbow in the audience. After the song, Brendon paused to talk about equality, love between all genders, anti-discrimination and resistance, and to show support for the LGBTQ community. During that speech, and his others, you could hear the hoarseness of Brendon's voice and he would comment on his voice cracks and how gone it is. Though, nothing could stop Brendon and his night in the city of roses. From the start Brendon stole the show: gyrating his hips during "Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time", his signature backflip during "Miss Jackson", jumping on the drum kit for a cover of "24K Magic" and "Bitch Better Have My Money", dancing nonstop throughout the show, and so much more.

It was a night Portland will never forget. As I was walking through the city the next day wearing the shirt I had purchased at the show, I was stopped constantly by different people commenting on my shirt and discussing the show. Panic! At the Disco has been creating and performing music for 13 years, catering to new and old fans with each release. Panic! At the Disco looks and sounds better than they ever have, and their legacy will continue to live on for many more years after this.

Shots From the Show: Panic! At the Disco

Shots From The Show: Misterwives

Review: Adia Victoria

On tour for her debut album (Beyond the Bloodhounds), Adia Victoria stopped by Portland's Mississippi Studios on February 27, 2017 to perform songs from her album, and some French Pop songs off a soon to be released EP. Here is the review of the show I wrote for KPSU.

Adia Victoria is a blues singer/songwriter from Nashville that writes about topics including love, loss, and her experiences as a black woman in the South. In a Facebook post Adia further describes the blues as "my therapist, my soothesayer, my confidante, my pastor, my priestess, my shaman, my hype man." Near the end of her show in Portland, Adia Victoria pauses before a song to talk about her album and thank the audience for listening and coming out that night. She describes Beyond the Bloodhounds as her stories and a way for her to communicate those experiences, and the blues as a medium granting her the voice and confidence to say the things she couldn't. This vulnerability and honesty is apparent in her performance, paired with her ease and comfort onstage Adia repeatedly made personal comments throughout the show to talk about the songs she was about to play. This exemplifies the meaning behind the lyrics and the stories she is telling, and produces a very powerful performance and audience experience.

Proceeds from record sales in Portland went to benefit homelessness in Nashville. In addition to the solemn realities of Adia Victoria's lyrics, storytelling, and performance representing and inspiring a greater movement, her actions beyond her music reflect the messages she details. With a talented band behind her, solemn and genuine lyrics, and a beautiful and haunting blues sound, Adia Victoria's performance leaves a lingering feeling in the audience on an unforgettable night. Adia Victoria is an incredible artist, and her music and performances are truly something special.

Catch Adia Victoria on tour, tickets are available and cities are listed on her website.