Mae plays to sold-out crowd

Last Friday Circa Survive and headliner Mae graced the stage of the Trocadero Theatre. With Philadelphia being the beginning of the Mae, “This Music Is Much to Loud Tour,” heavy anticipation was in the air. Growing a strong fan base in Philly, Mae attained a sold-out crowd on Friday evening that stretched for about 2 blocks.

Though Mae drew a huge crowd, they seemed to come short in the end. Seemingly not living up to their intense live shows of the past, in the end Circa Survive was there to liven up the crowd before Mae hit the stage.

Starting off the set with ambience and spacey guitar riffs, Circa Survive blended into their song, “Holding Someone’s Hair Back.” Lead singer Anthony Green’s voice wavered at first but soon enough he erupted into a high note, fans began to scream and sing along with him. Playing each song with perfection and the clarity of their album, Circa Survive held the crowd in the palm of their hand, allowing a small crop circle to erupt. Ending their set with their hit, “Act Appalled,” singer Green jumped into many kids in the front row while the crowd sang every word of the song until the last note.

Green and the band then casually walked offstage with Green thanking the kids, making the conclusion to their set a great pace-setter for the headlining Mae.

Starting off with intense keyboard play, Rob Sweitzer began the Mae set with a soothing ballad. Soon enough the rest of the band took the stage, and the crowd screamed loudly.

The song continued over the intricate drumming of Jacob Marshall. Singer Dave Elkins soon began to sing as the drumming and guitar playing intensified, with the crowd singing the chorus all at once, “I just want to wake up,” allowing room for heavy anticipation over the next song. But for some reason the songs that followed were not as thrilling as expected.

With amps all the way up and distortion on guitars, Mae guitarist Zach Gehring and singer/guitarist Dave Elkins drowned each other out, making it very difficult to hear keyboardist Sweitzer and bass player Mark Padgett on songs like “The Everglow.”

Through the rest of the night Mae played a mediocre set, which is unusual considering their previously well-done performances. The crowd, however, seemed to be enthralled with the band, as every song was sung and the jumping ensued until the night ended. Though Mae’s songs are great, for some reason that did not pull through at their concert; the sound seemed to be a major problem for the band, but judging from the excitement of the crowd, many would disagree.

Solomon Sofolawe can be reached at tua32615@temple.edu.