Audience members got their first taste of band-on-band camaraderie when Kennedy Brock, a guitarist for rock band The Maine, joined opening act The Technicolors for its final song at the Lost Horizon on Sunday night.

“Oh my god, that’s Kennedy. Guys, turn around, it’s Kennedy,” one fan yelled to the others around her when Brock seemingly appeared out of nowhere and began rocking out onstage. He joined with The Technicolors’ lead singer Brennan Smiley and bassist Mike “Nico” Nicolette.

Brock’s short but spontaneous appearance set the tone for the evening as he and the other members of The Maine headlined Sunday’s concert, joined by bands — and their friends —The Technicolors, Knuckle Puck and Real Friends.

This was The Maine’s second time playing at the venue, the first time being in 2010 with the bands We the Kings and Cartel, among others. Located roughly 10-15 minutes off campus, the Lost Horizon is a club-sized concert venue that, in its 40-year history, has hosted acts such as Queen, The Ramones, Foo Fighters and Black Sabbath.

The venue’s small size and the audience’s close proximity to the stage ensured that the acts and the crowd would be able to connect on an intimate level. It also meant a sweaty crowd dancing through the night, but the stuffy environment phased neither the acts nor the audience.

As the headliner, The Maine played the longest set at about an hour and a half, while the first three bands each played 30-minute sets. The band played songs from its newest album, such as “American Candy” and “English Girls” and hits from previous albums, including “Inside of You” and “Right Girl.”

Lead singer John O’Callaghan also joked that they would be playing covers of songs by Demi Lovato. But he couldn’t hold in his laughter, and instead led the band into a cover of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones.

After the first few songs, O’Callaghan became the only member onstage and started talking to the audience. Some people asked him who cut his hair and if he remembers playing at the venue years ago, while others screamed, “I love your suspenders.” He gave out water bottles to a sweaty audience, took a selfie with a fan’s phone and handed a guitar pick to a girl who asked for one.

At one point, O’Callaghan began speaking to another girl who was located toward the back of the pit.

“Is that your boyfriend next to you? Are you guys a couple? Well, this song is for both of you,” he said as he started playing an acoustic version of the band’s hit “Into Your Arms.” At certain parts of the chorus, O’Callaghan would stop singing and let audience members finish the line for him.

“God bless you guys,” O’Callaghan said. “This is good sh*t.”

Earlier in the night, The Technicolors’ contagious enthusiasm translated to audience members bobbing their heads and dancing in the pit. The group’s alternative sound, characterized by fast-paced rhythms and guitar riffs, matched the high energy of its members.

The following two bands, the Knuckle Puck and Real Friends, had more of a punk sound that energized the crowd even more. During the two sets, security staff members had to be stationed near the front of the stage, ready to catch people who were lifted up and crowd surfed to the front of the stage. It seemed as if every few seconds during both band’s sets, someone was being lifted up and carried around.

The Maine’s pop-rock sound ensured that no moshing happened in the crowd, which was filled with fans taking pictures, recording videos and singing the words to each song.

Throughout the sets, all of the lead singers made references to the other acts of the evening, asking the crowd what they thought of each band. Brock said all the bands are great friends and like to support and play with each other. He added that the night before, he played onstage with both The Technicolors and Real Friends, so he appeared on three of the four sets.

After the show, members of The Maine spent at least an hour talking to their fans after the concert, taking pictures with them and signing T-shirts and CDs.

“Honestly tonight was so awesome,” Brock said. “It’s so cool to be back and I had a lot of fun. It was maybe one of the sweatier shows of the tour… but yeah, it was spectacular, and it’s awesome to see all the people here.”

Published on May 4, 2015 at 12:51 am

Contact Clare: clramire@syr.edu