Boston crowd quickly intoxicated by The 1975

Before the show even began, people were lined up around the block and across a bridge near the venue, the House of Blues in Boston. Despite the rain and chilly December temperatures, there was a large turnout for The 1975 and the show was sold out.

Inside, the majority of the bottom floor and the two floors above were crowded with teenagers and young adults, many of whom clearly had a grunge-influenced style. The crowd buzzed with energy for the opening acts, Cruisr and Young Rising Sons. With an indie-rock vibe, the music pumped throughout the venue, spreading rapidly through the crowd. Despite the long wait for the main performance, the opening act managed to woo many.

It was only minutes before the centerpiece of The 1975’s set design illuminated the stage. The fans roared before lead singer Matty Healy even made his way onto the stage, bottle of wine in hand.

The band started off with one of their hit songs, “The City”, entrancing the Boston fans. A few songs later, the band performed their catchy but alarmingly realistic song, “So Far (It’s Alright)”. The fans joined him in singing the chorus, swaying their bodies to the melody. Every other minute or so, Matty amused the fans by taking a swig from his bottle.

The crowd was asked to settle down — pun intended, it’s one of their song titles  — as Matty requested the respect of his fans as he sang a more personal and emotionally draining song, “Me”. Matty asked that the crowd put away their phones and let this be a moment to allow the music to truly connect with the people. Some of the audience couldn’t help but record this amazing and emotional performance, afraid of losing the feeling it brought to them.

The reasons behind the emotional content of many of the band’s songs is largely due to the band’s tremendous success, not only in the United States, but also in the UK, where the band began.

The 1975 has topped many charts and held the spot for No. 1 album in the UK for quite some time. The 1975 performed at popular festivals such as Coachella, Glastonbury, and our own Boston Calling. Practically two years of touring, about 300 gigs a year, has contributed to emotional and physical stress for the band’s members. The fact that the band members were still able to perform with such dedication is astonishing and possibly, because they pour so many emotions into their music, that could be why the crowd was able to connect deeply with them.

The emotions seemed to take a toll on Matty that chilly early December night. About midway through the show, during one of their slower sets of songs (“Pressure,” “Me,” and “Falling for You”), Matty could not hold back his shaking body and voice and the vibe the crowd was getting from him was that he could not focus on both his performance and his emotions at once.

Despite the distractions, the show was overall an amazing experience. The feeling of connecting so directly with a performer has never been so strong. The lighting of the show and slightly tipsy crowd made for an exciting atmosphere. The show was upbeat and catchy at times and then, at other times, a quiet hush would fall over the crowd.

The 1975 pulled off the event so well that the audience was more than satisfied. Hopefully, The 1975 will come back to Boston soon for another amazing show!

–March 19, 2015–