MOON Base One’s Opening Night Shines Over Salem
MOON founders (from left to right) Mat Petrone, Ali Lipmann, and Tyler Bernard on the venue’s opening night.
Music Organizers of the North Shore christened their new venue, MOON Base One, with an exhilarating night of performances on Feb. 7, 2025. The venue, located at 24 New Derby Street in Salem, Mass., is more than just a place to perform and hear live music, it’s a place to build community, and the opening night show displayed just that.
Before the shows began, MOON held a free pre-show get together for anyone who wanted to stop by and get to meet new people in the North Shore music scene. Conversations flowed between musicians and music fans alike over food and drinks provided by the venue and you could see this community really beginning to blossom. Mat Petrone, one of MOON’s founders, described a major end goal of MOON to be, “We’re really trying to cut out that gap between the North Shore community and North Shore music scene and make it one big community of people supporting each other.” In a time where things are scary and it’s especially easy to feel divided from those around you, having a community filled with love and support is ever so important and MOON has created just that by providing a space to connect, rock out to some music, and overall just feel safe and comfortable.
Following the pre-show hangout, the night began with an emo rock performance by Boston band Pintail, fronted by one of MOON’s founders Tyler Bernard. The band, which has been performing around the North Shore for the last couple of months, blessed the crowd with powerful electric sounds and hypnotic drumming that thumped through your heart accompanied by stunning vocals. With their entrancing sound, Pintail delivered a phenomenal performance to kick-off the night and leave the crowd - myself included - wanting more.
Boston band 5ever tearing up the stage at MOON’s opening night show.
After a brief interval, Boston based pop-punk band 5ever took the stage with a glittering pink microphone and a vibrant energy that immediately captivated the crowd with just the first guitar strum. Although it was one of the first performances with their new bassist, you’d never be able to tell with how well the band seamlessly bounced off one another. Their music was somehow both nostalgic and unique at the same time, with a sound influenced by early 2000s pop-punk matched with a fresh twist on it. The high-energy performance had the crowd jumping so much you would think there was a second set of drums going. I personally am very excited to see what else this band does in the future and hope to see them at many more future MOON shows.
Closing out the night was Boston rock band Mallcops, who may have been last but were anything but least. An alternative rock sound that somehow managed to keep the audience amped up after an exhilarating night of performances, Mallcops tore up the crowd with passionate drums and some of the most thrilling guitar performances I have ever heard. The intoxicating instrumentals accompanied by powerful vocals left the crowd vibrating with energy into the late hours of the night and counting the days until their next MOON performance.
A night filled with a plethora of sounds from a range of genres, MOON Base One launched their venue with a stunning turnout and a crowd anticipating future shows. With anyone from children to elders in the crowd, the venue provided a fun and safe space for residents of all ages to experience these phenomenal performances. If you are a fan of underground music or are just looking for something fun and inexpensive to do on the weekends, MOON Base One is the place for you.