After a two-month North American tour, Irvine, California’s own Young the Giant ended their tour with the honor of being the first band to headline the Five Point Amphitheatre on Oct.5. Performing alongside openers, Sir Sly and Cold War Kids, the band brought the energy and the dance moves to break in the new venue. Opening with hits “Amerika” and “Something to Believe In” from their latest album “Home of the Strange,” the band brought a mesmerizing light show and didn’t disappoint with their set.
The energy was palpable in the stadium, with everyone eager to listen to the band that grew up in their hometown. Everyone was buzzing with anticipation waiting for the band to come on, while the crowd collectively stepped forward in excitement to reach the stage.
The ‘indie rock’ band released “Home of the Strange” via Fueled By Ramen August of 2016. The album is a self-reflection and a retelling of the immigrant’s story with no two songs sounding the same. The band succeeded in creating a set that included majority of their new songs from the album, as well as some hits from their first two albums “Mind Over Matter” and self-titled album, “Young the Giant”.
What surprised me the most about the set was the inclusion of their songs from their “In the Open” series. It was a pleasant surprise, of course, because I have never seen their “In the Open” songs done live before. In their video series, the band plays their songs acoustically in different locations and out in the open. If you’ve never watched this series before, I strongly urge you to do so. If not for their raw talent, but for their ability to create a high quality music video in the middle of a freakin’ cave.
It was a hard week for the music industry this week due to the passing of Tom Petty and the horrible attack in Las Vegas, but there was nothing but love in the Five Point Amphitheatre. Every band that performed acknowledged one or both tragedies in their sets and Young the Giant performed an awesome cover of “American Girl” during their encore.
What was my favorite part of the show you ask? Definitely Young the Giant lead singer Sameer Gadhia smashing birthday cake into, Cold War Kids lead singer, Nathan Willett’s face. The two bands have clearly grown close on tour and the moment was hilarious. Young the Giant is the kind of band that makes you forget that your feet hurt and you’ve been standing for three hours. They’re the kind of band that will make you want to scream out the lyrics until your throat is sore. They care about what is going on in the world around us and create songs that tell stories to reflect that. If you ever get the chance to see Young the Giant in concert, don’t waste it because they don’t disappoint.
Where the Music Plays 