“There’s a lot of stationary legs but very active arms,” says Josh Ramsay, lead vocalist of pop-rock band Marianas Trench.
As the band has gotten older, so too have their fans. But that didn’t stop them from coming out to the St. Petersburg date of ‘The Force of Nature Tour’ at the iconic outdoor venue Jannus Live. After nearly 10 years since their last performance in the area, Marianas Trench was well due for a show here—and they were greeted with cheers, applause, and yes, lots of stationary legs and active arms.
The night started with Los Angeles-based band senses. While there were only three of them, they played with a larger-than-life sound that would’ve blown the roof off the venue—if it had one. As lead vocalist Madison Taylor moved around the stage, all eyes were on her and her impressive high-kicks, jumps, and overall infectious energy. Meanwhile, all ears were on the band’s dynamic pop-punk melodies and Madison’s powerhouse vocals as she belted out fan-favorites “better than this,” “sleepwalking,” and a rockin’ cover of Chappell Roan’s 2024 hit “Good Luck, Babe!” The band also played new singles like “tiptoeing” and “obsessed,” the latter of which had everyone singing the song’s “obsessed” tagline at the top of their lungs.
The stage then transformed into a mini record shop with two yellow and red bookcases that displayed vinyls of The Summer Set’s new album Meet Me at the Record Store. When the pop-punk band made their way onto the stage—er, into the record shop—they made it their own. They effortlessly moved the crowd and commanded their attention, whether they were performing old hits like “Lightning in a Bottle” or new favorites like “Gloria,” “ADIDAS,” and “Flowers.” A highlight came when lead vocalist Brian Dales entered the crowd during “Chelsea,” asking if anyone in the crowd was actually named Chelsea. Even though one fan lied and said yes, Brian came over to her anyway, and the two continued to sing the rest of the song together. Overall, The Summer Set had a way of bringing people together, turning strangers into friends, as those who came to the show alone ended up dancing with one another by the end of their set.
All night, fans had been looking at very tall blades of grass that stood at the edge of the stage. It looked like someone’s front lawn, so it was fitting for a crew member to come onto the stage with a lawn mower and act as if he was cutting the grass. Once he was finished, the sound of thunder echoed out across the venue and snow flurries started to blow around on the stage. Suddenly, Marianas Trench appeared, opening their set with “A Normal Life” from their latest album Haven. From there, they played a wide variety of songs, pleasing fans of the tender stuff, like 2015’s “One Love,” fans of the playful stuff, like 2014’s “POP 101” and 2010’s “Cross My Heart,” or fans of the modern stuff, like 2024’s “I’m Not Getting Better” and “Down to You.” Marianas Trench really made up for all of the time spent away from St. Petersburg, and Josh even admitted that he couldn’t think of “any reasonable reason” as to why they took so long to come back. There was so much dancing, so many smiles, and a lot of interaction with the crowd—including Josh singing the entirety of 2011’s “Haven’t Had Enough” from the audience. They were truly a force of nature, leaving fans to check the forecast and hope that it calls for Marianas Trench to return sooner than later.
MARIANAS TRENCH
THE SUMMER SET
SENSES
Photos + Review by Christine Sloman | Exclusively for Music, Why Not!
