Mayday Parade, Microwave, Grayscale, Like Roses

The Bomb Factory in Deep Ellum, Dallas, TX

May 1, 2025

Review and Gallery by: Grace Forrester

The night was nothing short of explosive as emo royalty Mayday Parade celebrated their Three Cheers for Twenty Years tour at the recently rebranded Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas. Bringing along Microwave, Grayscale, and Like Roses to open up the show, each set was filled to the brim with excitement, and along with some major surprises at the end of the show, the night was truly one-of-a-kind.

First up on the night’s line-up was Calfornian natives Like Roses, a female-fronted group possessing some pretty impressive grungy vocals. Although their set was short, what they bring to the table in just six songs is beyond enough to get someone hyped. Watching bassist Kayla Gonzalez and lead singer Amy Schmalkuche headbang through each song with some serious hair volume was a performance all on its own.

Next up to bat was the Grayscale. Coming off their own tour with the band Slowly Slowly, these guys truly put on a show. Opening up their set with some dark and moody lighting, the packed room quickly came to life as frontman Collin Walsh yelled to the fans for even more energy. Pointing his whole mic stand towards the crowd during “Some Kind of Magic”, it was clear to see just how the love and passion Walsh and the rest of the band put behind their music.

Although the last two songs of their set were cut short, Microwave put their all in the last opening spot of the night. Lead singer and guitarist Nathan Hardy was incredible to watch perform, the biggest of smiles never leaving his face as the band played some of their biggest songs like “Lighterless” and “Drown”. Their bassist Tyler Hill was just fiery, bouncing around the stage without losing energy once.

As Mayday Parade finally took the stage, it was almost night and day as the crowd truly came to life. What the die hard fans didnt know until the end of their set, however, was that they were in for one of biggest surprises possible for the special “May Day” celebration. Starting from their classics to their newest EP Sweet, the twenty-three song setlist included old and new hits like “Jersey”. “Miserable At Best”, and “By The Way”. Before they ended the night with a two-song encore of “One Man Drinking Games” and “Jaime All Over”, frontman Derek Sanders brought out former member Jason Lancaster to perform alongside him for the first time since 2008. As the fans celebrated the last few moments of the shows in a shower of white confetti, it was safe to say this was the best “May Day” a fan could possibly have.

The Three Cheers for Twenty Years tours continues on until the beginning of June, with remaining tickets being available on the band’s official website. If you are looking to relive your Warped Tour-filled dreams this summer, this tour is not one to miss!