The sun was breaking through the clouds, the Cubs were playing the White Sox, and two Warped Tour alumni were gearing up for a show in what felt like the perfect spring day in Chicago. Just outside Wrigley Field sits a two-acre entertainment district complete with dining options and gathering space known as Gallagher Way, and their 2026 Budweiser Concert Series kicked off on May 17 with pop-rock bands Mayday Parade and The Summer Set.

The Summer Set’s setlist comprised mostly songs from their latest album, Meet Me At The Record Store, with tracks “I Don’t Wanna Party”, “Flowers”, “ADIDAS” and “Hit and Run”, as well as their cover of ABBA’s “Mamma Mia” that was released with the deluxe album.

“How metal do we want to go in Chicago?” lead vocalist Brian Logan Dales jokingly asked the crowd before the unmistakable notes of the marimba began.

Crowd favorites “Chelsea” and “Lightning In a Bottle” closed out their set, giving them one last chance to throw their hearts in the air with a legendary send-off.

Mayday Parade took the stage as the sun set behind the crowd, introducing them to their latest single, “Blame It on the Youth”. Released on May Day of this year, the song is a look back at their journey and what has defined them over the last two decades.

“Jake [Bundrick, drummer] came in with this amazing song that we were all drawn to,” guitarist Brooks Betts said in a press release. “We knew instantly it was important to get the track right but we really just had a solid chorus and loose verse melodies so the band quickly got to work constructing multiple versions of lyrics to finish the track. We worked together in a way that was truly collaborative and with the process feel we created something we are all super proud of.”

The single is just the beginning of the third installment of their album trilogy celebrating the band’s 20th anniversary. Sweet and Sad, both released in 2025, goes back to their DIY roots. The final track on Sweet, “Pretty Good To Feel Something”, was described by lead vocalist Derek Sanders as one of his favorite songs the band has written before performing it to the enthusiastic crowd.

In between songs, Sanders told a story about meeting a fan who had been to a significant number of Mayday Parade shows and said to him that their fans are the nicest, friendliest, most welcoming group of people. A crowd of Mayday Parade fans take care of each other, and Sanders said it was the best compliment in the world that he could ever receive.

“Please believe me when I say we are so grateful to be here today,” Sanders said to the crowd.

Mayday Parade and The Summer Set reunite again this July at Warped Tour in Long Beach, with a lineup of peers celebrating similar milestones. Both bands began in an era where a festival-turned-summer-camp introduced them to lifelong fans and friends, and cheering for each other decades later is just as memorable as the first time.