The Maine brought their “Tour Next Door” to the House of Blues in Anaheim on Friday, August 21, giving fans a full night of music that covered nearly two decades of the Arizona band’s career. The tour, which takes the band into neighboring cities and new rooms rather than their usual stops, features a unique two-part format: a quiet, stripped-back set followed by a loud set packed with the high-energy songs fans have come to expect. With support from Hellogoodbye, the night was full of nostalgia, new music, and good vibes.

Hellogoodbye opened the night with a set that was every bit as playful as it was nostalgic. Forrest Kline took the stage by himself to start, explaining that since The Maine had a quiet part to their show, he figured he could do a couple of acoustic songs of his own. He kicked things off with a song about the mystery of love, encouraging everyone in the room to find a freak to keep things interesting before the rest of the band joined him for “Here (In Your Arms).”

The crowd immediately came alive as Kline launched into “Here (In Your Arms),” but not before putting his own spin on it. He worked Ludacris’ “What’s Your Fantasy” into the opening, joking that the mashup works with any songs from the 2006 era. To prove his point, he threw in a bit of the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” before settling into the full song. When he reached the second verse, Kline switched to Spanish, adding another unexpected twist to one of Hellogoodbye’s most recognizable songs. As the song began, a fan nearby excitedly shouted that she knew it because she had downloaded it from LimeWire back in the day and ended up giving her family’s computer a virus. It was a perfect little snapshot of the era that so many people in the room clearly remembered.

Kline’s banter kept the audience laughing throughout the set. He worked in nostalgic sounds like the “You’ve Got Mail” notification and the iconic “Law & Order” “dun dun,” while taking a moment to reminisce with the crowd about AIM. He also introduced a new song by walking the audience through the band’s catalog, explaining that the first song came from their second record, the next from their third, and so on, eventually landing on a new track from their fifth record, which does not exist yet.

The playful chaos continued through the end of the set. String lights were strewn across the band’s instruments, and during “Touchdown Turnaround (Don’t Give Up On Me),” Kline ripped one loose and swung it around as he jumped across the stage. He tossed the lights into the crowd, letting fans dance with them, before grabbing one end again and making his way to the barricade, singing and bouncing alongside fans. It was a fittingly chaotic ending to a set that never took itself too seriously and had the Anaheim crowd dancing and laughing from beginning to end.

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The room settled into a different kind of energy when The Maine took the stage for the quiet part of the night. Dressed in suits and surrounded by warm lighting, the band opened the seven-song set with “Bad Behavior,” giving the familiar track a stripped-back arrangement that brought a completely different feel to the song. Even with the volume turned down, the audience was anything but quiet. Fans sang along to every word, their voices often carrying across the room louder than John O’Callaghan’s.

O’Callaghan spent plenty of time chatting with the crowd between songs. He told the story of how, back in sixth grade, he convinced his mom to buy him a skateboard despite not knowing how to skateboard, making him what everyone called a “poser.” He then pointed out the skateboards lining the walls of the House of Blues, each representing a sold-out show at the venue. The Maine had come within 80 tickets of getting one for themselves, which prompted some playful booing from the audience. O’Callaghan quickly shut that down with, “Don’t boo. Once a poser, always a poser!”

The seven-song quiet set featured a mix of familiar favorites and newer material, with the band reworking songs to fit the stripped-back format. They also surprised the crowd with a cover of Shania Twain’s “You’re Still the One,” a fun addition that showed off a softer side of the band. O’Callaghan also received an unexpected gift from a fan who tossed a box of Pokémon cards onto the stage. There was no shortage of crowd interaction throughout the set, including one particularly memorable compliment about his mustache. O’Callaghan revealed that he had spent the morning in the bathroom using Just For Men to darken his naturally blonde, wispy mustache, proudly declaring that it was a major improvement, and encouraging all the men in the crowd to try it out if they needed some help with their staches. As the band prepared to leave the stage for the intermission, he got one last laugh by directing everyone to the “Just for Men merch table,” continuing the joke about the show being an ad for the brand.

Before the break, the band made their way through “How to Exit a Room,” with O’Callaghan pointing out that there had not yet been a crowdsurfer during the quiet portion. Considering he had just called The Maine a “very hardcore band,” it seemed like he was issuing a challenge. Sure enough, one crowdsurfer made their way through the room before the song ended.

After a 15-minute intermission, the lights dropped and Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” blasted through the venue as The Maine made their return. The suits were gone, replaced by much more casual looks, and the band came back throwing up metal horns and ready to turn the room upside down. A new banner featuring The Maine’s name in an almost unreadable metal-inspired font had also been revealed at the back of the stage, setting the tone for the second half. They launched into “Half a Spark,” one of the newer tracks from Joy Next Door that made its live debut just one night earlier in Tucson.

O’Callaghan quickly got the entire room involved, asking everyone over 30 to raise their hands and encouraging the “old folks” to lead the charge and show the younger fans how it is done. He eventually found his way into the crowd during “I Must Be Dreaming,” challenging fans to sing the lyrics back to him. Anyone who has ever been handed a microphone during a song they know by heart can probably relate to what happened next. The words that were perfectly memorized moments earlier suddenly became much harder to find. O’Callaghan always encourages fans to make up the lyrics if they do not know them, and with him standing right there in the middle of the crowd, those fans were guaranteed a story they would remember for a long time.

One of the most memorable moments of the night came when O’Callaghan revealed that Pat Kirch’s dad was in the crowd and had a special request. He asked the audience to put their phones away as the band attempted “Do You Remember? (The Other Half of 23)”, a song they admitted they had not played in years and did not really know how to get through. O’Callaghan joked that he could not remember the lyrics, and a fan immediately offered up their phone with the words pulled up to help him out. The crowd was clearly thrilled to hear the long-retired track, and the band powered through it despite openly acknowledging that they were probably all playing in different keys. At the end, O’Callaghan laughed off the imperfect performance and dedicated it to Billy, stating that after rehearsing in his garage for over ten yeras, whatever Billy wants, Billy gets!

The nostalgia continued when the band announced they would be playing “Identify.” A collective “oh!” rose from the crowd as fans realized they were about to hear a song that has rarely appeared in the setlist in more than a decade. The unexpected throwback was clearly a hit before the first note was even played. From there, “Sticky” got the entire room grooving, with O’Callaghan even asking the crowd who was feeling the most uncomfortable and telling everyone to keep an eye on that person for the rest of the song.

The band continued moving through the set with a mix of longtime favorites and newer tracks from Joy Next Door, including “3:31,” which gave one of the album’s standout tracks another chance to shine live. I was so bummed when this track and “Half a Spark” didn’t make the setlist last tour, so I was very excited to see that both tracks made the cut this time around. O’Callaghan kept the crowd involved with birthday shoutouts and a story about his own birthday wishlist, which consisted of a Port of Subs party platter and sour candy. When he asked one fan what they wanted for their birthday and they responded, “I want to live another year,” he paused, calling the answer beautiful before telling everyone he hoped they would all live another 100 years.

The Maine’s energy was felt across the entire stage all night, with Garrett Nickelsen bouncing around throughout the set, seemingly incapable of standing still for more than a few seconds. Jared Monaco was equally fun to watch, shredding his way through the songs while whipping that glorious hair around the stage, while Pat Kirch kept everything moving from behind the kit. Kennedy Brock also had his moments to shine throughout the set, including his vocal solo during “Like We Did (Windows Down), which earned one of the biggest reactions of the night from the crowd, before the band continued into the final songs of the night. While O’Callaghan kept the running joke about the length of the set going all night, at one point claiming they had another 2,302 songs left to play, the set did eventually wind down with “Dirty, Pretty, Beautiful” before the band closed out the night with “Black Butterflies and Déjà Vu.” Between the unexpected throwbacks, the new Joy Next Door tracks, the chaos of “Do You Remember? (The Other Half of 23),” and the constant back-and-forth with the crowd, The Maine proved once again why they’ve become such a staple in this scene and how they’ve managed to build and maintain their loyal 8123 fanbase after nearly two decades. After seeing the first two nights of “The Tour Next Door,” I can say that this is a really fun way to experience the band, and I’m excited to see how the set continues to evolve as the tour rolls on.

The Maine has finished three of eleven of the shows on the “Tour Next Door” run which will resume in November. This is a show that fans will not want to miss. Grab your tickets while you still can!

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