An Australian band of four rocked the Ak-Chin Pavilion last Saturday night with thousands of swooning fan-girls. Clearly, 5 Seconds of Summer appeals to a specific audience; the girls… and the boyfriends or parents that got dragged along for the show. However, no one’s ticket went to waste that night because what a show it was! Through the guitar and drum solos, no one can deny they have talent. I’m not going to lie, I had my 5sos craze-faze not so long ago. Traveling to an L.A. showing and just recently seeing them in Barcelona, may put into perspective of how easy it is to want to follow their journey through “making it big”.
A band with 8,000 backup singers carried out the tunes from their latest album, Sounds Good Feels Good, definitely creating those vibes. It was not just their vocals however that lit up the stage – their charismatic personalities exposed through each bit of commentary they’d shared after a few songs or so.
One of my favorite moments of the night occurred the second they stepped on stage. A band who is strongly instrumentally-oriented started their set list with nothing but voices. As the harmonies between Calum Hood (bass guitarist), Michael Clifford (guitarist), Luke Hemmings (guitarist) and Ashton Irwin (drums) carried through the beginning of Carry On. During Amnesia, the illuminated Ak-Chin Pavilion filled with beaming flashlights as the pace slowed. It almost seemed peaceful as everyone quieted down to hear lead vocalist Luke Hemmings hit every note.
Dating back to 2011, the years where covers were uploaded to Youtube, and gigs could not fill a room, this band has come a long way. Once One Direction member, Louis Tomlinson, scrolled through their channel, 5 Seconds of Summer’s career started to heat up. During both One Direction tours, Take Me Home and Where We Are, 5 Seconds of Summer was the opening act. Their first single, She Looks So Perfect soon led to the She Looks So Perfect EP. A few EPs and two albums later, their 2014 hit is still resonating with fans.
“Phoenix will always have a special place in our hearts” Michael Clifford yelled to the crowd in closing. Arizona was 5 Seconds Of Summer’s first headline show, and coming back here for their second world tour must say something about our crowd.
Review and photos by Samara Walker
Photos © Samara Walker 2016
- Carry On
- Hey Everybody
- Disconnected
- Money
- Voodoo Doll
- Don’t Stop
- Outer Space
- Waste The Night
- Castaway
- Jet Black Heart
- Amnesia
- Vapor
- Catch Fire
- Good Girls
- Permanent Vacation
- She’s Kinda Hot
- She Looks So Perfect
