Mayday Parade brings 20 years of pop punk to College Street
If Mayday Parade came to New Haven to remind us why we fell in love with emo in the first place, mission accomplished. From the jump, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a standard greatest-hits nostalgia trip. The band delivered a career-spanning setlist that felt intentional, emotional, and deeply connected to both longtime fans and newcomers.
This wasn’t just another tour stop. It was their 20th anniversary, and the weight of that milestone sat heavy in the best way possible. Before the band even took the stage at College Street Music Hall, video screens lit up with an interview clip from the early days of Mayday Parade, a reminder of just how far they’ve come.
In fact, the production of this show was incredibly impactful, the video screens themselves projected lyrics, band graphics and more throughout the show. Elevated on risers above was a large mirror reflecting back on the crowd, flanked by a piano and drum kit on either side. College Street boasts a large stage, allowing the band to move freely through out the evening.
The band tore through a catalog-spanning setlist of 21 songs that hit every era with intention. Mid-set, frontman Derek Sanders paused to talk about inclusivity, thanking fans for helping create a space where people can show up exactly as they are. It felt like a moment of mutual recognition. Mayday Parade has always been a band rooted in big feelings and small comforts, and that acknowledgment of who they play for—and why—carried real weight.
Later in the night, the show paused when someone in the crowd became visibly unwell. The band stopped playing immediately, calmly guiding the audience to help pass a water bottle to her until security and EMTs could reach the area. It was a very human moment, handled with care and clarity.
If this show proved anything, it is that Mayday Parade still knows how to hold a room, not just with sound but with presence. Anniversary tours are everywhere this year, but theirs felt both necessary and nostalgic. We are lucky to have experienced this band as teenagers, and even luckier to still have them now as adults who never really let go. The night closed with “Jamie All Over,” and as the final chorus hit, confetti cannons burst overhead, raining down on a crowd that was still singing every word.
Some anniversaries are about looking back. This one felt more like a reaffirmation of who they are, who we are, and the beautiful mess we’ve all survived together.
SET LIST
By The Way
Just Say You’re Not Into It
Three Cheers For Five Years
Jersey
I’d Hate To Be You
Miserable At Best
Anywhere But Here
Bruised And Scarred
Terrible Things
Oh Well Oh Well
Stay
Ghosts
One Of Them Will Destroy The Other
Never Sure
Piece Of Your Heart
One For The Rocks
More Like A Crash
Pretty Good To Feel Something
Who’s Laughing Now
One Man Drinking Games
Jamie All Over
