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The smell of beer, incense and sweat filled the House of Blues Sunday night as Young the Giant fans buzzed in anticipation of the band’s performance.
As the ninth concert of their “Home of the Strange” tour, the sold-out show had lines so long they competed with those of the Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees game next door. Yet, even with all three floors of the venue full, the concert still managed to feel like an intimate performance in front of friends.
Opening band Ra Ra Riot warmed up the crowd with a similar sound to that of Young the Giant’s, but with several added elements for an intricate and feel-good twist on indie rock.
Of the six musicians on stage, two were women playing an electric cello and a glittery violin that shone like a disco ball. Between the harmonizing of male and female voices and the subtle but powerful strings in the background, the band had the crowd mesmerized from the start. While some songs felt more like folk rock, others were like electronic takes on indie rock, showing the band’s versatility.
Unlike many small opening bands, Ra Ra Riot could have easily been the main act. Their upbeat songs and natural stage presence had the crowd instantly convinced of their talent from their first song, “Too Too Too Fast.”
After their six-song set, featuring both older ballads and a few songs off their newer album “Need Your Light,” the band left the crowd feeling good and ready for the main event.
In between sets, fans eagerly waited while throwback songs like blink-182’s “I Miss You” played in the background, setting a nostalgic mood.
Finally, Young the Giant came on and the crowd of 20- and 30-somethings went wild with excitement. Audience members belted out the lyrics to every song, bobbing their heads to the beat and taking in the good energy. The band skillfully alternated between their higher-energy songs and their slower ballads, making sure the energy in the room wasn’t low for long.
The songs from recently released “Home of the Strange” held onto the same indie-rock foundation as the band’s older tunes, but with added electronic elements and controversial lyrics. With the bandmates hailing from Indian, Persian and Canadian backgrounds, the album’s theme of immigration shows a progression in their music’s message.
While the majority of the set featured songs off their latest album, the band couldn’t leave out the chart-toppers that put them in the spotlight, “Cough Syrup” and “My Body.”
The band performed the latter of the two songs at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, a performance that truly put the band on the map. Now, five years later and two weeks into the tour, the band exhibited the same energy and passion throughout their songs as they did at that performance.
Lead vocalist Sameer Gadhia didn’t let his injured wrist stop him from enthusiastically dancing across the stage and shaking a tambourine, and it certainly didn’t affect his vocals. The band’s songs sounded just like, if not better than, the studio recorded versions – a difficult feat for musicians to accomplish.
The band’s raw emotion in their songs and free-spirited dancing throughout the show are some of the reasons Young the Giant must be seen live. The entire set was an unscripted and unexpected experience that got the fans involved in the performance and positive energy.
Gadhia even brought back old-school rock concert vibes during the song “Firelight” by telling the crowd to pull out their lighters, phone screens or flashlights. He asked the crowd to “help us light this place up,” and the result was a venue full of people united by the music, light glittering around them.
By the end of the night, everyone in the crowd was buzzing, from both the alcohol and the good music. There is something truly fascinating about watching musicians up on stage with no special effects or overly contrived performances — just pure, unapologetic talent.
