This entire post is courtesy of Matthew Saunders
Tempe alternative rock band The Maine played a packed show at the House of Blues in Anaheim on Thursday. The show was the second Anaheim stop on the “American Candy” Tour.
The tour name comes from The Maine’s most recent full-length release. The Maine decided to bring out Real Friends, Knuckle Puck and The Technicolors as support for this tour.
“The reason the tour came back around to Anaheim is that this date (April 9) was the next available date,” says Real Friends drummer Brian Blake. “With the last Anaheim show falling before Easter and an off day this week, we wanted to meet the demand for a second date so kids would have more of an opportunity to see all of the bands, or come back to experience it for a second time if they wanted to.”
The Technicolors were the first band of the night and gave the audience a taste of what to expect.
“We’re good friends with Knuckle Puck, and The Maine is good friends with The Technicolors,” says Blake. “It’s like two groups of friends touring with each other. Everyone is friendly and we all are having a great time.”
Knuckle Puck played soon after The Technicolors were done with their set. The crowd became more animated during Knuckle Puck’s set in response to the fast, energetic pop punk music that they are known for playing.
“Knuckle Puck was absolutely amazing,” says concert attendant and Norco College student Kylie Johnson. “This was the first show I got to enjoy in a while and I loved every minute of it. Their performance tonight makes me that much more excited to see them again this summer on Warped Tour.”
Real Friends kept the energetic and youthful vibe going after Knuckle Puck’s set was done. Real Friends knew how to connect to their audience by playing both fast, aggressive music and well as slow, emotional songs from their discography.
“More people should listen to this music because it is real,” says concert attendant and Cal State Fullerton student Rebecca Castaneda. “I do not usually go to these type of concerts, but there is a different vibe here than at a Maroon 5 concert at the Staples Center. There is pure, raw talent on that stage and you can tell everyone who is up there is playing their heart out and loving what they do. The crowd is different as well. If you fall to the floor, literally everyone around you takes the time and effort to help you get back on your feet. At these concerts, it feels like one big happy family.”
The Maine was the last band of the night to perform. The band played a collection of songs that have been written throughout their history together. The band played several songs off of “American Candy” to promote the new album they had just recently released, however, the band still made room on their set list to include old singles that dedicated fans of the band knew and loved well.
“One of the best parts of touring is getting to meet new people in each state,” says Real Friends guitarist Eric Haines. “There are always fans that wait around to come talk to us after the show, especially with how passionate the Southern California scene is to us, and before you know it, you have friends in every pocket of the country. To me, that’s what makes the long drives and the sleepless nights away from home worth it. We may drive hours on end, but playing that hour set to everyone that came to see us play makes it all worthwhile.”
Although the American Candy Tour is all said and done for Southern California, the four bands still have a long journey ahead of them. The American Candy Tour ends on May 20 in San Antonio, Texas.
Did you attend The American Candy Tour? Comment below with your thoughts on it.
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