BY CHELSEA VAUGHAN

On Friday, May 1st, 2026, Asbury Park was filled with neon colors, volumized hair, fishnets, and the biggest bows you could think of, as scene music made a comeback at the House of Independents with Millionaires celebrating their 16th anniversary of the Cash Only EP. Joining them on this tour were openers Waiting 4 April and Whitney Peyton, as well as a special guest: New Jersey’s local pop-punk band, Feelsgood.

If you’re unfamiliar with Millionaires, they are a MySpace essential - including members Melissa Marie Green and Meredith Hurley, the group is known for writing funky scene pop songs about having fun, partying, getting f**ked up, and doing whatever they want (🎵cause they’re a millionaire!🎵). They have previously toured with Breathe Carolina and have also performed at Warped Tour. After a few years of just releasing singles, Millionaires made a comeback in 2023, performing at festivals and eventually releasing new music, such as “The Weekend” and “Professional Party Girl (P.P.G.)”.

With the energy that these two bring to their shows, I knew that this was going to be an incredible night, as I have seen them live before; I saw them perform at a random bar in North Jersey back in late 2024. I didn’t bring my camera for that one, but I still had a blast, so I was very excited to get to not only see them again, but be able to capture the moment as well!

The first band that performed was a popular New Jersey local band named Feelsgood. When I found out that Feelsgood was opening for Millionaires, I can’t stress enough how ecstatic I was. For those who don’t know this band, they are a pop-punk essential, with similar music (and similar fandoms!) to a mix of Twenty One Pilots, Waterparks, and 5 Seconds of Summer.

Their set was electric, and the crowd was going crazy for every song. They performed hits such as “Drop Out” and “Pretty Little Liar”, and then covered Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” (which is super fitting for a Friday night concert!). It seemed like the crowd knew their songs very well, as I could see every person jumping and singing along to every word (which wouldn’t surprise me because they have performed at various venues across New Jersey, and have grown a very loyal fanbase).

I’ve talked before about how nice it is to see a local/opening act get the love that they deserve, but this specific band hits quite close to home for me, as I’ve been taking pictures at their show since I first started doing concert photography almost three years ago.

Not only is the band amazing to see live every time, but the members are so sweet, and it has been an absolute honor watching them grow over the past few years.

Next on the bill was American rock band, Waiting 4 April, coming all the way from Texas. They probably get this comparison a lot, however, they have a very similar vibe to Sleeping With Sirens: beautiful vocals combined with harsh screams and an instrumental that will leave bruises in the mosh pit. Shoutout to this band for getting the audience to start a mosh pit, by the way. Their set was very 2000’s emo in the best way possible, performing hits like “You & I”, and even inviting a fan on stage to sing with them (she drove over 3 hours to see them live!!). This was also when I learned that this was their first time touring!I hope they come back to the Asbury Park area soon, they were an absolute joy to listen to.

Whitney Peyton took the stage soon after, and her set was amazing as well. Both Whitney and her DJ were incredibly interactive with the fans in the audience; one minute Whitney was holding someone’s hand, the next she was crowdsurfing with them, and then she was dancing with the audience on stage. Artist interactions are my favorite things to see in a concert, and Whitney excelled in it. She hyped up the audience with songs like “I Hate My Roommate” and “Outta My System.”

At this point in the night, I also realized that we were ahead of schedule, so Millionaires ended up taking the stage around 8:40 after their wonderful DJ kept the audience hype.

Fans in the audience kept their middle fingers up throughout the entire opening number, “Party Like A Millionaire”, singing along to every word, and they kept that energy up for the entire show. Other than the first few seconds when the members first came out, I actually barely saw any phones for a majority of the set. All I saw from the front to the back were fans dancing with each other and having a great time. They invited openers Whitney Peyton and Colton Ray onto the stage at different times to sing along with them (which Feelsgood should have also gotten that opportunity too if you ask me). They also performed a cover of Ellie Greenwich’s “Be My Baby”, a cover that is known heavily in their fanbase. They also made a competition during “Hey Rich Boy” to see which side of the venue was the loudest. My side won, of course!

Lastly, they ended the night by playing two of their most popular songs: “Take Your Shirt Off” (which I did see multiple people in the audience actually take their shirts off for this song so props to you for that), and “Alcohol.”

It’s always bittersweet when a concert that you’ve been looking forward to is over. You feel that post-concert depression hit you as you look back on the videos you took and the memories you’ve made; I have a feeling that this will not be the last time you hear me talk about any of these bands.

If you want to follow Millionaires on their tour and see what they’re up to, check out their Instagram for the details.

If you want to check out Waiting 4 April, Whitney Peyton, and Feelsgood, their Instagrams are linked as well.