On Thursday, Oct. 18, senior Nick Hosto and Junior Matt Grimsley achieved something they only thought of in their daydreams. Grimsley and Hosto, alongside their band Equal Squeeze, opened for household name bands Mayday Parade and The Maine.

Let’s face it; we all have that person that we look up to in life. Whether it is a famous baseball player, a famous actress, or even just our parents, we all have to have some figure of influence in our lives.

Now, imagine actually getting to play in a game alongside your favorite athlete or playing a role in a movie opposite your favorite actor or actress.

“The show was an amazing opportunity and we were so lucky to have had it.  It’s an experience I’ll never forget,” Hosto said, who plays guitar in the band.

Grimsley, who plays guitar in the band as well, was especially excited for the show since Mayday Parade and theMaineare some of his favorite bands. “The show was crazy! The chance to play with Mayday Parade and theMainewas just so amazing.”

The three additional members of Equal Squeeze, Trey Garrison, Stephen Gooden, and Joe Kotsybar, have all graduated high school and are attending  SIUE, excluding Garrison, who graduated last year.

“The show was as close to a dream come true as I think we ever could have experienced,” lead singer Garrison said when describing what he thought of the show. “From the moment we arrived until we pulled our trailer away from the other band’s tour buses, it was unbelievable.”

During sound check, the guys were able to meet the members of theMaineand Mayday Parade.

“We didn’t get too much time with them, but they seemed like very stand up guys,” Gooden exclaimed, who plays bass for Equal Squeeze.  “They were so down to Earth. They even gave Equal Squeeze shout outs on stage and told us we had a really awesome set.”

How the guys managed to get the gig is a different story.  A few months before the Mayday Parade show, the band played a show at the Firebird inSt. Louiswith Parachute.  After the band played their set, a student who was part of the campus activity board at Lindenwood came up to the band and asked them if they were interested in playing with Mayday Parade and theMainein a few months. “How could we say no?” Gooden replied.

“The best part was the feedback we received,” drummer Joe Kotsybar said who has been playing with the band since the beginning.  “We’ve never been so flattered in our lives.”

Several students from EHS happened to make the long drive toLindenwoodUniversityto see the trio of bands play.

Senior Jordan Germer went to the show with some of her friends that night.  “It was really cool seeing someone on stage that I knew. Everyone should be envious that they missed out on have that connection [that you get from being at a concert].”

When asked to describe the show in one word, Junior Haley Miller (who is a die-hard Mayday Parade fan) described the show as “life-changing.” “Singing along to every Mayday song was the best moment for me.”

Sophomore Lauren Downs said her favorite part of the show was when Jeremy Lenzo (bassist of Mayday Parade) threw his guitar pick at her.

“The people who didn’t get to go missed out,” Senior Jesseca Lowe stated, who is also friends with Nick Hosto from Equal Squeeze. “It’s always a blast to see your favorite bands live singing your favorite songs.”

Equal Squeeze has an EP out titled “Tricks Are For Squids” that is available on iTunes as well as two upcoming shows. “We have a very exciting show on December 2 at the Firebird [inSt. Louis] with Go Radio and Paradise Fears,” said Garrison. The band is expecting the show to be a full house.  “After that, we have a local show booked on December 30 at the Wildey Theater in Edwardsville.”

“We will also be going into the studio soon,” Hosto added. “We’re going in the there to record one of our new songs, so be on the look out!”