ATP! Live Review: 5 Seconds Of Summer - House Of Blues Sunset Strip Los Angeles, CA (09/11/2014)
Let me tell you a little story about a band called All Time Low. They're my favorite band, I've have listened to them for half of my life, and I'm sure many others could say the same. Alex, Jack, Rian, Zack and they have gotten me through thick and thin and I've even dedicated a quarter of my arm to some of their album artwork, so when I say a band is comparable to All Time Low it's pretty big deal, but that's exactly how I felt watching 5 Seconds Of Summer perform at their sold-out House of Blues show in Los Angeles.
It all started with an electric tape penis on a drum kit. The unveiling of the temporary drum art - it was covered minutes later by a big 5 Seconds Of Summer sticker because some people are just no fun - was the moment that I realized this wasn’t going to be the show I thought it was going to be. I was soon proven correct when the quartet took me and the rest of the crowd on a wild journey that traversed the line between pop and rock so seamlessly and effortlessly. It’s a no brainer as to why the pop-rock community has welcomed these Aussies with open arms. (A perfect example of this would be both their choice in covers for the evening, “Teenage Dream” and “American Idiot.”).
The highlight of the night, however, was when producer John Feldmann joined the boys on stage and hopped behind the drum set while drummer Ashton Irwin took over main vocals for a very spirited rendition of their Record Store Day release “Pizza.” Though it was brief (the song clocks in at just under 40 seconds) it was quick peak at a completely different show and what was amazing was the crowd that may be widely regarded as a mainstream audience ate it up. Any naysayer adamant that 5 Seconds Of Summer aren't going to breathe life back into the pop-rock scene need just take in the crowd and their reactions to see that they are completely wrong. In fact, I’m excited to see the status of the scene in a years time after their “Rock Out With Your Socks Out” world tour.
In the end, listening to 5 Seconds Of Summer on album just doesn’t do them the same justice as seeing them live. On record, they’re a little too polished, but live they’re gritty and dirty and just a whole lot of freaking fun. They let the performance take them away and they push their tempos and their volumes to the brink right up to that breaking point and it is a total treat to see live. 5SOS have proven themselves to be a seriously big deal, and everyone should give them a chance. If you don’t, you'll be depriving yourself of one helluva time.
(And if you’re bummed about not making it to the show, have no worries, the show was recorded for a live release!)
Victoria Patneaude
Set List:
18
Out Of My Limit
Heartbreak Girl
Voodoo Doll
Don't Stop
Teenage Dream (Katy Perry cover)
Disconnected
Lost Boy
Amnesia
Beside You
Everything I Didn't Say
Long Way Home
Heartache On The Big Screen
American Idiot (Green Day cover)
Kiss Me Kiss Me
Good Girls
What I Like AboutYou
End Up Here
She Looks So Perfect
