5 Seconds of Summer has arguably been one of my favorite bands to see live since I went to my first 5sos show in 2014, so of course I was going to grab some tickets to their Sounds Live Feels Live tour this summer. I decided to attend their show in Holmdel, New Jersey at the PNC Bank Arts Center and their sold out show at Madison Square Garden in NYC. Even though it was the same tour and pretty much the same setlist, give or take a few songs, the vibes once you crossed the NJ state line into NYC were drastically different.
I had the pleasure of having the "VIP Soundcheck Experience" at both shows, and since Holmdel was up first, my friend and I arrived at the venue on time and sat in our seats waiting for the boys to come out on stage to play a song and answer questions a couple of hours before the show started. I was absolutely shocked to see 5 Seconds of Summer come out on stage to a group of blood-curdling screaming girls, and not even crack one smile. They stood there like statues and played the songs that they had to, and when a question was asked the boys barely answered it. Instead, they all cracked a joke and moved on a little quicker than was necessary. Only about one or two questions were answered seriously from what I can recall.
When my friend and I left the soundcheck, we did not feel excited for the show, but sad at the lack of energy being shown by the band. When the clock hit 8:45pm, 5sos took the stage to a crowd bigger than the soundcheck group and while they jumped around and sang their lyrics, you could tell that the happiness wasn't fully with them. It was hard to hear the boys over the shrill screams of their pre-teen fans and maybe it was because the audience was so young, but something about the show just didn't feel right to me. It saddened me to think that maybe 5sos were no longer excited and having fun playing music for people, and that maybe it just feels like a job that HAS to be done rather than something that they want to do. I left with a frown on my face and hopes that MSG would bring a better show and a happier band.
Maybe it was the summer city air that I love so much or the fact that thousands of fans engulfed my brain with their screams of the lyrics rather than just empty screams, but the 5 Seconds of Summer Madison Square Garden show was absolutely breathtaking to watch. Even the before show soundcheck had a happier vibe and a much more mature audience. The band was answering questions with real answers and stories that the question reminded them of. They smiled and laughed and bounced ideas off of each other, which was completely different than in Holmdel when only two talked at time and the others who weren't talking stared blankly into space as the question was answered. When the lights went down and the band jumped into their 20 song set, you saw parts of the past 5 Seconds of Summer come alive, such as the way Luke introduced their song "Long Way Home" by having the crowd sing the chorus first before starting the song.
My favorite part of the show was when Michael was alone on the stage interacting with the crowd before "Jet Black Heart" and he had to pause before singing because he was laughing like a giddy child on Christmas when he heard everyone cheering his name. Thousands of lights flew back and forth like stars as every teenage girl and boy sang a long joyfully with their parents and friends to songs both old and new. I've never been to space, but these voices carried me through this show as if this historic venue had no gravity; a huge change from the screaming girls who were so loud in New Jersey, I could barely make out what song was about to be played next. So thank you 5 seconds of Summer, for showing me a little bit of the band that I fell in love with back in 2014 and for showing me that being in a band is more than just a job for you. Thank you for reminding me just how much music can mean to people.
Girls and boys came to this show as their first concert and if they're anything like me, the glow of the lights shining on the brighter glow of the fans faces made them believe that they wanted to be surrounded by this energy forever. Thank you for making a 18,000+ capacity room feel like I was in a tiny bar with a small stage, watching you play for the first time. Thank you for making my experience at Madison Square Garden completely different than the show I experienced in Holmdel. The music that connected that audience in that room will stay with us forever and I am more than happy to have been a part of the day four boys from Western Sydney, Australia sold out Madison Square Garden in New York City.
