CEBU City, Philippines — Welcome to Sunnyland!
Cebuano pop-punkers experienced one of the best time of their lives on Friday evening, May 3, as American pop-punk/rock band Mayday Parade held their very first show in Cebu City at the SM Seaside Sky Hall for their “Welcome to Sunnyland” Philippine Tour.
Sunnyland, the band’s sixth and most recent album which came out on June 2018, was named after an abandoned psychiatric hospital in Tallahassee, Florida, where the band’s members grew up in.
The band is composed of Derek Sanders (vocals), Jeremy Lenzo (bass), Alex Garcia (guitar), Jake Bundrick (drums) and Brooks Betts (guitar).
To the band, Sunnyland is a nostalgic nod to their youth as they recount their days as teenagers through their songs.
The band opened the set with their hit “Never Sure,” and the crowd threw rock signs up in the air.
The crowd threw rock signs up in the air during the show. / CDN Digital File Photo
While the band played new songs from their “Sunnyland” album, they also played classic hits from their older albums such as “Jamie All Over”, “Anywhere But Here”, “Stay”, “Three Cheers For Five Years”, and even the tearjerker songs such as “Miserable At Best” and “Terrible Things”.
Derek Sanders, the frontman of Mayday Parade, says that it’s their first time to play in Cebu.
“We crossed the world to be with you tonight,” he says.
Derek Sanders, Mayday Parade frontman. / CDN Digital File Photo
Sanders says they started their band 14 years ago, to which the crowd responded with cheers and hoots.
“To be here in Cebu tonight for the very first time is absolutely a dream come true,” shares Sanders.
“I’m sorry it took so long for us to come here, but I promise that we’ll be right back,” he adds.
The band ended their show with “I’d Hate To Be You When People Find Out What This Song Is About” as Jake Bundrick, in true pop punk fashion, threw his drumsticks to the crowd while the other members did the same with their guitar picks.
Mayday Parade started their Philippine Tour with a show in Cebu on May 3, and will end their tour with a show in Manila at the New Frontier Theater on May 5.
The event was organized by Pulp Live World in partnership with SM Seaside Sky Hall.
If you failed to watch the May 3 concert in Cebu, Manila is just an hour away so you can still experience Sunnyland and the music of Mayday Parade. / celr