Source: https://twitter.com/themaine
I recently saw The Maine in Denver and though it wasn’t my first time, their shows are always the most memorable to me. This band has been around for 10 years now and the impact the they have on so many fans is unbelievable. Every time I meet them I think about how much they care about their fans too and how they treat their fans is unlike any other band that I’ve seen. I think it’s the sole reason for their continued success and presence in the music industry.
As someone who grew up listening to my older sister’s music, bands like All Time Low and Paramore were the soundtrack to most of my morning rides to school. Looking at these bands now, they’re all so different than they were then, with a whole new sound and a larger distance from their fan base. I know people who used to meet All Time Low years ago like it was nothing or see their sets at small dive venues. Now, they are unreachable. To meet them, you have to pay 200 dollars and be quick about it. To get a front row spot, you have to camp far in advance and fight with other fans over who cut who in line. It’s a total nightmare and it’s unfortunate because it never used to be this way with a lot of the bands I used to adore. With The Maine, I look at their time as a band and yes, they’ve changed their sound quite a bit and their fan base has grown, but nothing about the band, how they handle their tours and treat their fans is different. This is where they exceed all other bands in their passion for their craft and those who support them, not the money or relevance and radio play.
The Maine tours constantly; I’ve seen them three times within the past year and a half. They produce albums regularly and they put a lot of time into their creative process. They have a video series their follows their lives as a band on YouTube- basically, the band never stops.. This is like most other bands, yes, but how often do you see a band stay out for hours upon hours after every show, rain or shine, in the winter or summer to meet every single fan waiting for them? I have only seen this effort from The Maine. Other bands meet fans after shows too, but they don’t always wait to meet everyone, they usually walk away from a line of people because they don’t want to do it anymore. I get it, they’re humans too, but The Maine have never complained, in fact, they encourage fans stay after to chat. I couldn’t imagine travelling from city to city, which is exhausting on its own, then playing a show that takes a lot of energy to perform and then going outside for hours meeting dozens of fans, only to go to bed in the wee hours of the morning to do it all again tomorrow.
When I saw this from them for the first time, I was in disbelief. All of members of The Maine are eager to meet you, get to know you and hear about anything you want to tell them. Your interactions with them are not rushed and you feel like an individual to them rather than just another fan that wants to snap a quick picture to be pushed on your way from security. There is no pressure to be quick in talking with The Maine, they are humble, they are grateful and they care. None of them let the conversation continue without asking how you are first, and they make eye contact the entire time they’re interacting with you. You get to know them for no cost at all and if anything, they’re thanking you for taking the time to meet them.
All I have to say is that interacting with fans can go such a long way. The Maine have been able to do a “Free for All” tour for their fans to give them a chance to see their shows live without paying any money and their slogan for Warped Tour 2016 was “Why would you pay money to meet a human being?” to remind fans they can meet their favorite band for free. They even had a contest this past year to give fans a chance to win free tickets to their shows for life. The ideas they have used to interact and give fans a chance to be close to them are so creative and it makes their supporters feel individually appreciated.
The Maine can continue to do this because they see their fans as real people with love for their music and their message. Their fans are not dollar signs, they all have stories and a connection to the music. The band get to make music they’re proud of and play the shows they want to play while giving fans the personal connection music should give them anyway. I think that because of this, The Maine will continue to be a successful band for years to come. I can only hope future bands take notes of their methods because it’s the most rewarding thing to be a fan of a band that cares about their supporters more than anything else.