photos and review: Abby McNatt

Pop/Punk rockers, Mayday Parade took their Sunnyland Tour to Pittsburgh’s very own Stage AE on Tuesday, November 6th. It was a chilly evening so when the doors opened, everyone was thrilled to start getting their adrenaline pumping and get warmed up.
On their Sunnyland tour, Mayday Parade brought along a variety of acts of which the crowd really seemed to enjoy. First up we had Oh, Weatherly, from Dallas, Texas. Personally, they reminded me of a more pop/punk Boys Like Girls. That being said, the show started out strong and ended just as strong. They clearly had a solid fan base in Pittsburgh, with the number of girls freaking out when they came on stage. They were a fun band to watch, really. This past summer, they released their “Lips Like Oxygen” album so fans got to hear some of those songs live. They were very upbeat and got the crowd’s blood pumping for sure.
Next, on stage, we had William Ryan Key, former lead singer of Yellowcard. First off, it is very hard to pull his name from its consistent association from the former punk band. But, I will say that he is worth giving a listen. The music is just as good, it is just performed by one artist rather than several members. His set was mostly acoustic, as he was accompanied by a multi-talented drummer behind him. It has been a struggle for him to come out as a solo artist and have people accept that and not want to hear Yellowcard hits. He alluded to this several times throughout his set. He did satisfy these needs by playing “Ocean Avenue”. Earlier this year he released his first album as a solo artist, “Thirteen”. On November 30th, his album “Virtue” is out November 30th. His set was a much slower set, but a nice break for the crowd.
This Wild Life took the stage next. TWL is an acoustic duo formed in Long Beach, California. Their newest album, Petaluma, came out earlier this year. For an acoustic band, they really have a fun and upbeat set, live and I found myself impressed having not seen them before. The audience seemed to enjoy them too. During one of their few love songs, they picked a couple out of the audience to dedicate the song to and they slow danced to it. It was so cute. During their song “Puppy Love”, fans showed pictures of their dogs to the stage and lead vocalist, Kevin Jordan, encouraged more fans to do it as well. They were an amazing way to end the opening acts and bring out the headliner.
And finally, we had Mayday Parade. If you are unfamiliar, Mayday Parade is a Pop/Rock/Emo band from Tallahassee, Florida. Their recent album, Sunnyland came out this past summer, and they celebrated the release with a tour. From the very getgo, they were all over the place. It was hard to follow each band member because they were playing from each platform at the front of the stage and switching and it was just… crazy chaos… and awesome. The stage setup was so cool too. They had like a forest feel to it with a starry background and some leaf-less, dark trees. The crowd was ready to go the second the lights dropped, and never stopped the whole rest of the night. Plenty of tears were shed and dancing fever was contagious.
It was a fun, emotional, and exhilarating way to get warm and spend a chilly Tuesday evening. Check out Mayday Parade, as well as Oh, Weatherly, William Ryan Key, and This Wild Life on the rest of the Sunnyland tour!

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