Mae was formed in 2001, and since then, they have put out three CDs and three EPs, entitled: Destination: Beautiful, The Everglow, Singularity, (m)orning, (a)fternoon, and (e)vening. When the band first started, there were five members. As the years went on though, two of the members dropped. But for this last tour titled "Goodbye, Goodnight", Mae came together again with the original five members that produced Destination: Beautiful and The Everglow.
Mae has been my favorite band since I first started listening to them in 9th grade. Their music has held a special place in my life for all those years. As amazing as this last concert was though, I couldn't help thinking the entire time that this would be the last time I would see them preform live. This is Mae's last tour; after the "Goodbye, Goodnight" tour is finished in Norfolk, VA on November 27, they will be finished touring together "for the indefinite future".
The knowledge that this was their last show in Philadelphia did not keep Mae from delivering a killer performance, however. Before Mae came on, three different bands opened for them. The first band was called "The Panic Years". Musically, they were very good. Rarely do you ever see female guitar players in bands, but the girl playing electric in The Panic Years was amazing. They also had a kick-butt cellist who performed in a few of their songs. However, I was not a huge fan of the lead singer's voice, or their lyrics. But I appreciated them musically. The next band to come on was called "Windsor Drive", who was also very good musically. I liked the lead singer's voice, and I liked that they included an electric piano in their music. I liked them more than I liked The Panic Years, but I still wasn't a huge fan of them. The last band to perform before Mae was a band called "Terrible Things". They had just put out their first CD, and I enjoyed them the most out of all of the opening acts. Their lyrics were relative, the singer's voice was good, and they interacted with the crowd. By the time that the tree bands were finished though, I was more than ready to hear Mae.
When Mae came on, everyone went crazy. They opened with a song off of their new EP, (e)vening. Throughout the concert, they played almost all of my favorites. They played a lot of songs off of The Everglow, including my favorite song, Suspension. They also included a bunch of songs from Desination: Beautiful, and a few from (m)orning. Mae was amazing. What especially blew me away was the piano player, Rob, who was one of the two to join back up with Mae for this last tour. He was sick (in the "amazing" form of the word).
The last song that Mae played was Tisbury Lane, one of my all-time favorites, until they went off stage and the crowd started chanting "ONE MORE SONG!" And with that, the band came back out and played the perfect last two songs; We're So Far Away, and Someone Else's Arms.
We're So Far Away has a line that says, "Did you know how you would move me, did you know? Did you know how you would move me well, I don't really think so. And the moment's magic swept us away..." All I could think of during this song was how much Mae has come to mean to me during these past years. I've listened to Mae during the tough times in my life, and their lyrics have helped me get through some of those times. I've gone to these three Mae concerts with my best friend, Jill. It came to be a tradition of ours; when Mae came to Philly to tour their first EP, (m)orning, we immediately bought tickets. We've gone to the past two concerts, and carried on that tradition. It was a bonding experience for us. Knowing that these concerts together were over though, was sad. I'm sure Mae didn't know how they would move me in my life. But they did. They really did.
Out of all these Mae tours I have been to, (m)orning, (a)fternoon, and (e)vening ("Goodbye, Goodnight"), this last one will always be my favorite. It was sad, yes, but it was my favorite because Jill and I rocked out harder than we ever had for any previous show. This show was special, knowing that it was the last one we would go to. Even though I won't get to see my favorite band play live again, I'll never stop listening to their music, and I'll always have the memories from these concerts with my best friend for the rest of my life.
In the link below I included a video clip from the show. The song is "All Deliberate Speed"; listen, and enjoy :).
Thanks, God Bless.
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