The Maine Rocks Hatheway at L&C

Matt Monroe
Webmaster

Students and other fans from around the country gathered at Lewis and Clark Community College’s Hatheway Cultural Center for a free concert by The Maine, an indie-rock band from Arizona on Friday Sept. 4.

The Maine is playing free shows throughout the U.S. for their “Free for All” tour as a message of gratitude to their fans for supporting them over the years.

After 89.9 WLCA station manager Michael Lemons applied for the school to get a free show, thanks to a tip from a former student of Lemons, L&C was chosen. Lemons talked with the band’s promotion company and tour manager to further set up the concert.

“[While] I have not had any interaction with the band thus far, interaction with the touring manager and promotion company has been fantastic,” Lemons said.

The show began around 7 p.m. with their opener Beach Weather, a newly formed rock band from Arizona, to warm up the crowd for the main event.

Some of the members of The Maine watched from backstage, enjoying the music, taking pictures, and pumping themselves up before going on.

“Energy wise, we felt a lot more comfortable playing with each other and the audience seemed to be enjoying the music, so that was a positive sign,” Beach Weather drummer Austin Scates said.

L&C is only the fifth stop of the tour in support of their latest album, “American Candy,” while Beach Weather promoted their EP titled “What a Drag,” released less than a week before the concert.

Both of the bands seemed to have great chemistry during their performances, feeding off of the crowd for support.

In their set, Beach Weather played some original material throughout the show and threw in a cover of 80s band The Cure, toward the end of their hour set.

Throughout their set, The Maine also interacted with the crowd by trying to list off all the members of the Backstreet Boys and even brought a fan up onstage to help sing a song.

They gave it their all despite doing it for free, showing that they really do care about the music, and the fans.

“I’ve known those dudes for about ten years now, so I’ve been able to tour with them in the past and they’re definitely a band I look up to, even though we’re the same age if not younger than me,” Beach Weather Singer and Guitarist Nick Santino said. “They just do what they want to do and they can make anything happen for themselves like this free tour for example. Being out with them like that makes you realize they’re the nicest guys in the world.”

For more information on The Maine, and their album, “American Candy,” visit www.wearethemaine.net. Those interested in Beach Weather can also buy or stream their debut EP “What a Drag” via iTunes, Spotify, and Apple Music.