5 Seconds of Summer in September: 5SOS' 'Meet You There' Tour
One of my favorite bands ever, 5 Seconds of Summer is making a comeback in a big way with their new and improved sound, and touring with their new album, Youngblood, that came out in June (which I also did a track-by-track). Following their small headlining tour in the spring, 5SOS is back on the charts and taking North America and Europe by storm.
I had the awesome opportunity to experience soundcheck with them on their previous tour, 'Sounds Live Feels Live', and I was super fortunate to get to do that again. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take any photos or videos, but I can tell you a little bit about it. They sang two songs, 'Valentine' and an old song, 'If You Don't Know', which they actually sang at the last soundcheck I attended. Along with the two songs, they did a fun Q&A with selected questions from the fans that were there, like two younger boys having a dance battle with them on stage to Michael Jackson, or talking about their writing experiences, or asking them about their favorite conspiracy theories (Luke is a firm believer that we are living in a simulation). It's such a great fan experience and just reminds you of how being a fan of 5SOS is like being part of a family.
​​ After hanging out until the doors opened and I met up with my roommate, we bought merch before getting to watch their opener, The Aces - they were amazing and honestly my new obsession! They're an all-girl band from the U.S. and they have such a fantastic vibe in their music and stage presence. I think they really complement the newer sound and aesthetic of 5SOS on this tour, plus I love the fact that they're a girl group. We love female empowerment, and it's really playing to the demographic of 5SOS fans. I was really impressed by them and I highly recommend listening to their album, When My Heart Felt Volcanic.
(Also, shoutout to this sweet man working one of the soundbooths in the back who let my roommate charge her phone there until 5SOS came on. He was such a homie!)
Another little note, I knew a friend from high school and her friends were sitting in the lawn, and I had two extra tickets, so I brought them down to sit with us and it made the concert really fun getting to be with them! They definitely reminded me how much I love 5SOS, especially when the lights went down and the intro to 'Babylon' played and my friends and I were screaming our heads off. Totally worth it.
Their performances are so energetic, and I love the way they translate their songs from an album to stage. I had no idea I was going to like some of them so much, and there were the ones I was looking forward to that I knew were going to be good. I also loved the fact Luke and Calum got to play piano or keyboards because it just added another beautiful layer to all of the songs. All of the songs they played from the new album were absolutely amazing. As I said in my track-by-track, they have really put their heart and soul into this album, and you can see them pouring their hearts out into their live performances for their fans.
One of my favorite parts about 5SOS' concerts is the interactions they have with fans. Those interactions have definitely changed from tour to tour, but they really want to get to be with their fans, so like at this particular tour, Michael jumped down into the pit and close to the barricades (it was pretty crazy, and my friend tried to get over there, but I don't think she had too much luck). I think they've definitely matured from their past tours because they used to talk a lot in between songs and read people's posters or bring a fan onstage to play guitar with them. I think they're so confident in their music now though, that they can still interact but simply just play because the fans love their music so much.
Basically, I love going to 5 Seconds of Summer concerts, because it reminds me of how much I love music and concerts, and how much fun my friends and I had listening to their albums and following them as a band for five years. 5SOS has been a huge part of why I love music so much, and they're actually the reason I started branching out into other music genres. Who knew one song from them would lead me to so many new bands, concerts, and memories? If you ever have the chance, you should totally go see 5SOS live or listen to some of their live performances. They have so much energy and passion for their music, and it just reminds you of why people like going to live shows. I'm very proud to be a fan of theirs.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience at 5SOS' 'Meet You There' tour! I had a blast! You can also keep up with all of my concert going on my Instagram highlights if you want to see more. Don't forget, you can always contact me about things you want to read! Until then, thanks for stopping by Rachel’s Records, hope to see you again sometime! x