Bright Lights: Mayday Parade with Like Roses, Grayscale, Microwave, live at the Crystal Ballroom, May 9th, 2025

“We lost ourselves in the bright lights…” (at the Mayday Parade show).

Confetti blasted over us as we sang the lyrics to the pinnacle pop punk anthem from 2006, “Jamie All Over”. Beside me a mother stood with her daughter, who was probably about the same age I was when the song was first released. Hands outstretched, they reached for the confetti as they sang together. The final wave of crowd surfers made their way to the front, obscured by the confetti. The Crystal Ballroom was packed with both old and new fans — a multi-generational crowd of 1,500 people — for Mayday Parade’s 20 year anniversary tour date in Portland on May 9, 2025.

Few bands from the 2000s have managed to maintain their momentum over 20 years, continuously putting out music that continues to tug on the heartstrings of those of us who grew up in the MySpace era as well as the generations that followed. It’s clear that Mayday Parade have rightfully solidified their place in the pop punk scene, selling out nearly every date on their 20 year celebration tour.

Fans in Portland proudly donned their Mayday Parade shirts from years prior, dating back to the late 2000s. In between book-ending their setlist with one of their newest songs first (“By The Way” from their latest album Sweet) and two popular and nostalgic hits “Jamie All Over” and “One Man Drinking Games”, they went through their discography chronologically. After “By The Way”, they went into songs from Tales Told By Dead Friends, their first EP released in 2006 followed by hits from their debut full length album A Lesson In Romantics. Not a single album was left out in their 23 song setlist which showcased the best of the band’s 20 years of work.

Despite their 20 year run, Mayday Parade shows no signs of slowing down. Aside from treating the audience to a thorough and longer-than-average set, they also brought the same energy to their set that those of us who grew up with them remember. Adding to the nostalgia of the evening, they featured old video clips and interviews on the LCD screen in between songs.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see any of the supporting bands on their own 20-year anniversary headliner some years down the road, either. Like Roses, a femme-led emo band from California, opened the evening with their raw poignant energy, hair flying and backlit from the stage lights. Portland also had the pleasure of seeing a familiar face — rocking out on drums with them was Portland’s own Dominic Jones (of the local pop punk band All Hype).

Philadelphia-based alternative rock band Grayscale followed, playing a majority of songs from their recent 2025 album The Hart. A smattering of fans in Grayscale shirts lined the barricade, showing their support as they sang along to their emotionally-charged lyrics. They ended their nine song set with my personal favorite song of theirs, “Not Afraid To Die”.

The last support band of the evening, psychedelic rock band Microwave from Atlanta, Ga., had quite a few fans in the audience, and for good reason. I had heard their name before, but hadn’t yet listened to their music. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed their performance and they won me over as a fan. Vocalist Nathan Hardy had the largest smile on his face the entire performance — something that’s always nice to see is when you can tell just how much an artist is enjoying performing. Their touring guitarist, Lucas Daniel Jones, added to the energy onstage and captivated my attention with his bright blue hair and impressive jumps.

Photos and review by Jax Lamont