Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, The Maine has remained a staple in the punk/alternative scene for years. With 2023 officially marking the sixteenth year of the band’s career, what better way to celebrate than embarking on a tour where every night is one big sweet sixteen party?

So far, ‘The Sweet Sixteen Tour’ has made 22 stops in cities across North America between November and December, with more parties to be held in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands in early 2024.

With the tour only spanning 22 cities, I knew there would not be any stops in the Hamden area. So, of course I just had to make the four-hour trek from Quinnipiac to my hometown to catch The Maine at Franklin Music Hall in Philadelphia. With finals week beginning 2 days after the show date, I almost made the responsible decision to stay in Connecticut. Almost. But where would be the fun in that?

Alongside The Maine, Flor, Weathers, and Daisy Grenade brought infectious energy to every night of the tour. Weathers unfortunately was not on the opening roster for Philadelphia, but Daisy Grenade and Flor were, and each band was an absolute treat to watch. As a casual listener of the opening artists, both did a fantastic job of getting the crowd warmed up and in good spirits before the members of The Maine made their entrance.

Dressed for the occasion, it was impossible to miss the moment John O’Callaghan took the stage. He donned a full suit adorned with black sequins that sparkled under the light reflected by the huge disco ball hovering above the stage.

The set started off strong with “dose no. 2”, a track fresh off of the band’s newest self-titled album, followed by “I Must Be Dreaming” a hit from the band’s debut album, and “Diet Soda Society” from “American Candy.” I really enjoyed how rapidly the setlist bounced back and forth between albums, rather than taking the approach of playing each album in sections, so to speak.

In its entirety, the setlist featured tracks from each of the nine albums in the band’s discography, which allowed the band to showcase the different musical styles of each album. With a grand total of 25 songs forming the hour-and-a-half long set, no matter if someone is a newer fan or has stuck with the band since the beginning, the show has something for everyone.

Throughout the night, the fan-to-artist interactions were through the roof. In between almost every song, the band would speak to the crowd, read signs, and crack jokes. Towards the middle of the set, the band announced that the audience had the chance to choose between two songs, “Bad Behavior” and “Into Your Arms”. Just when I began to wonder how in the world that would work, a big digital clock, it seemed, was brought out onto the stage. Come to find out, that was not a clock at all, but a device used to measure noise levels. This mechanism would be our tool to pick which song came next. First, everyone who wanted to hear “Bad Behavior” would have to scream as loud as they could, the same for “Into Your Arms”, and whichever song produced the highest number on the device would be the winner. As a “Bad Behavior” enthusiast, I screamed my heart out, but it seemed like all of the “Into Your Arms” fans decided to attend the Philadelphia show! Both songs are hits off of their respective albums, so either way it was a great chance for the audience to come together and all bring the same energy.

More hits such as “Like We Did (Windows Down),” “Misery,” and “Right Girl”, one of my personal favorites, kept the feel-good nostalgia going, while tossing in some gems from the self-titled album like “blame”, “how to exit a room” and “thoughts i have while lying in bed”.

Now, if I had to pick my favorite part of the entire show, it would most definitely be the moment I got to check off “mosh with John O’Callaghan while he sings ‘Sticky’ in the middle of the pit” off of my bucket list. Oddly specific, I know. Getting closer to the end of the night with about seven songs left, O’Callaghan made his way to the barricade and asked everyone to make a path for him. Getting there after doors opened, I was more towards the middle of the crowd, which was right where he was headed. Beginning to recite the vocals to “Sticky”, he suddenly announced that he wanted “to party with everyone back here” and got the entire crowd to start jumping and dancing along with him.

Immediately after “Sticky” came to a close, the intro to “Lost In Nostalgia” could be heard, which is my favorite track off of “Lovely Little Lonely.” I have no shame in admitting that very real tears may or may not have been shed. The group of college-aged frat boys standing next to me had officially witnessed me experience all five stages of grief, and there were still six songs left.

Three songs later, a young fan was brought on stage to perform “Girls Do What They Want” with the band before taking the microphone and telling the audience about her upcoming black belt test the next day, which led to her demonstrating a perfect karate kick that I could never even dream of having the ability to do.

Wrapping up the night with “blame”, “Dirty, Pretty, Beautiful”, and “Another Night on Mars”, was both cathartic yet heartwarming.

All in all, this has been one of my favorite concerts of 2023, and I wish I could go back and do it all over again. The Maine has this undeniably enthusiastic energy, which makes their shows an enjoyable experience for everyone, even those who were dragged along with by their friends, significant others, or kids, and have never listened to the band a day in their life.

Aside from the final run of “The Sweet Sixteen Tour”, The Maine is set to open for Fall Out Boy for a select few dates of the “So Much For (2our) Dust” tour. The band are also set to take the stage and perform it’s debut album in full at 2024’s “When We Were Young Festival” hosted at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds in late October. Safe to say I will be there, and hopefully some of you will have a chance to see them in the new year as well!