DISCLAIMER: IF YOU PLAN TO SEE ANY SHOW ON THIS TOUR AND YOU HAVE ANY FORM OF MIGRAINE OR SEIZURE DISORDER YOU SHOULD RECONSIDER. VISUAL EFFECTS ARE INTENSE. LOTS OF STROBES.
Most people spend their Sunday evening reading or watching television. I spent mine freezing my butt off under a cloud of other people’s marijuana at an outdoor show. Sunday evening I got to see The 1975 with openers Wolf Alice and The Japanese House. It was hipster central.
I am used to going to ROCK shows so to go to a concert to see a band who plays what I lovingly refer to as “chill out” music was totally uncharted territory for me. I had no idea what to expect. I loved the venue. We were at The Skylight Stage (the fully outdoor stage at The Mann Center) and the show had a festival feel with all the vendors around. There was plenty of room and the grounds were well maintained. Lot of people brought blankets but chairs are a no-go at this stage.
I had never heard of The Japanese House prior to this show and I wasn’t quite sure what I was in for. Their stage presence wasn’t impressive and they didn’t really have any effects during their show but they also performed early and the sun was still very much shining. I did like their sound but I think I would enjoy them more in the comfort of my own home than I did live.
I did however have prior knowledge of Wolf Alice. For those of you who don’t… think Tegan and Sara meets Massive Attack. Unfortunately I ended up missing a large chunk of their set as I thought I had lost my ID and spent a solid 20 minutes chasing around security personnel and having a panic attack (P.S. – It was in my car the entire time…). For what of their set I did get to see I enjoyed myself.
The 1975 absolutely stole the show. Their performance was easily one of the best I have ever seen. The visual effects were stunning and I found myself getting completely lost in the music. They opened with “Love Me” off their newest album I Like It When You Sleep… to get things going but the crowd got just a bit too rowdy. During their third song of the set “Heart Out” the band had to stop as the middle of the pit collapsed in on themselves domino style. Matthew Healy, lead vocals, cut the song and addressed the crowd: “Everyone in the middle of the pit take 3 big steps backwards… Philadelphia, we’ve been structurally compromised.”
The rest of the show went off without a hitch. They played mostly hits from their self titled album and ILIWYS but they did incorporate a few songs from their lesser know projects IV, Sex, and Music for Cars.
Towards the end of the show the band thanked the city of their large turnout and announced that although there is no information yet available that The 1975 will be returning to Philadelphia in the fall for another North American tour.
The band performed a four song encore: “If I Believe You”, “Chocolate”, “The Sound”, and “Sex”.
I will absolutely be catching these guys in the fall. Hopefully I’ll see some of you there. You won’t regret it.
