22 Years Ago – Before They Blew Up: 4 Bands, 1 Night in Portland, Maine

The month of April in 2003 was a busy month for live music at the State Theatre in Portland, Maine. WCYY presented 6 shows that month including Seether and Trapt, Cold and Finger Eleven, Finch, (hed) PE and local band Rocktopus. All of these shows happened over the course of two weeks. It was wild, looking back, it felt a little like I moved into the State for a couple of weeks. You may remember, we dubbed it April Rules. 

There was one show that stuck out for me. On April 19, 2003, the popularity of post-hardcore and emo music was on the rise and it was happening fast. At the time, there was only really one of these 4 bands that played the State Theatre that night that was getting radio airplay at the time. The others? They were bands in the underground scene that were gaining popularity by touring and word of mouth. 

Utah’s The Used was on the verge of breaking big. WCYY was spinning their debut singles “The Taste of Ink” and “Buried Myself Alive,” and the band’s pre-show signing session at Bull Moose in Portland (at the former Middle Street location) was absolute chaos. A friend and I were reminiscing recently—he swears it was the longest line he’s ever seen for a band signing.

Podioslave — a weekly music podcast hosted by three lifelong friends right here in Portland, Maine — posted this to their Insta a while back. $15 for a concert ticket... remember those days?

Also on the bill that night? My Chemical Romance, Story of the Year and Thrice. 

Within a year, these bands had graduated from supporting slots to headlining venues the size of the State Theatre, and the momentum for some of them never stopped. Fast forward to now—My Chemical Romance is headlining Fenway park this summer on September 7th. 

That night was one to remember, one that people still talk about to this day. The energy was insane, as were the pits. I was scouring my archives for pictures of the concert but those were fairly rare at the time because, you know, 2005. Did you bring your digital camera into the show? We’d love to see some pics!