(Photo by Julianna Iovino)
On December 9, 2022, I saw the American pop punk band Midtown at Mulcahy's in Wantagh, NY. I had not known about the band when they first were around in the early 2000s, since I was still in preschool by the time they disbanded, but I heard about them since they had gotten back together recently. I saw they were having their own headline tour as well as that they were opening for American rock band My Chemical Romance at some of their shows. I also already knew of the lead vocalist and bassist for Midtown, Gabe Saporta, from his work as the vocalist and frontman of the pop band Cobra Starship. Soon after hearing about Midtown, I became a fan of theirs and got tickets with my friend to see them on tour.
Since getting the tickets, I had been excitedly anticipating the concert. Even though I am not a long-time fan like some of the other concert attendees, I still fell in love with and connected to Midtown's music right away. After seeing Midtown live, I can undoubtedly say that the band sounds amazing and puts on a great show. If they tour again, I will definitely be at one of the shows!
Other than just the great music they played, the band members looked like they were having fun on stage and enjoyed getting to perform for the audience. One of the things that stood out to me was how the band remembered their fans from twenty years ago. Saporta even pointed out a group of guys in the crowd that he remembered from previous Midtown shows. Even though the band had gone on to do many other things since Midtown disbanded, it was mind-blowing to see that they still remembered the fans that were always there for them.
Another memorable moment was when Saporta drew the audience's attention to a shirt that a man was wearing in the crowd. Saporta exclaimed how the Midtown design on the shirt was really old and informed everyone that he remembered printing the design out in college using his university's computer lab. Everyone in the audience laughed at the story, and even the band members on stage looked amused as they thought back to when Gabe designed the shirt.
(Gabe Saporta jumping off of the drum head - Photo by Julianna Iovino)
Standing in the crowd, I could tell I was one of the outliers of people that had not followed the band since the beginning. Being the outlier was not necessarily bad, though, and actually added to my experience in a positive way. I did not feel any pressure from these fans, unlike at other shows where the crowd tries extremely hard just to be noticed by the band members. I showed up at the venue less than an hour before doors opened and got onto the barricade front and center with ease. Many people who attended the show seemed to be there to have a good time and listen to the band they loved both years ago and now.
One of the highlights from the concert was when a group of guys volunteered their friend, Doug, to get on stage and play with the band. The members saw this and invited Doug to join them on stage. Supported by Midtown's guitarists Tyler Rann and Heath Saraceno and drummer Rob Hitt, Doug played a bit on the acoustic guitar before leaving the stage. However, this was not the last that we saw of Doug that night. He later was invited back onto the stage to sing in place of Saporta and play a little again with the band. Saporta excitedly went to the well between the stage and the barricade to cheer Doug on as an excited fan.
Altogether; if you have not heard of Midtown or their music before, I highly recommend checking them out. While their tour has now concluded, hopefully, the band will be back to play some shows together soon. And who knows? Maybe fans will get lucky and see a new album soon.
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