In the years since Aussie rockers 5 Seconds of Summer hit it big, the band has released several stellar albums and matured in their live sound. Finally, after years away, the group returned for the Arizona stop of the Take My Hand Tour, which sold out Arizona Federal Theatre this week.
Pale Waves brought their British charm and punk rock attitudes to their opening slot, bathing the stage in vibrant colors to match their rich sound. The audience was thoroughly smitten with singer Heather Baron-Gracie as the quartet ran through a setlist of favorites, including “Television Romance”, “Fall to Pieces” and “Jealousy”.
5SOS was the main event and the guys came out in style. Vocal duties are shared among the four members, but lead singer Luke Hemmings swaggered his way through the lion’s share of the singing. “No Shame” got the room-shaking sing-a-long started and the energy only increased from that moment. Fans on the barricade screamed at their favorite members, waved signs and did everything they could to capture the attention of the band.
Meanwhile, the rest of the room was on their feet, shouting the words to songs old and new- “Take My Hand” and “Waste the Night” really captured the spectrum of the band’s discography. Bassist Calum Hood sang what guitarist Michael Clifford called his favorite performance of “Wildflower”, while drummer Ashton Irwin hardly paused for breath as he bashed away at his kit all night.
5SOS has a lot of hits under their collective belts, packing some lead singles into the final stretch of their set. We took a nice acoustic break with “Amnesia” (and a roomful of OG fans feeling the lyrics return from the depths of their 2014 memories) and then picked things right back up with the gritty “Teeth”.
The first notes of “She Looks So Perfect” were a jolt of electricity as every single fan did their best to drown out the band on the song’s iconic chorus. They closed out the main set with “Jet Black Heart” before returning with an encore of “Ghost of You” and “Youngblood”.
After more than a decade in the game, 5SOS has only grown stronger in their sound and it’s abundantly clear that fans of all ages will wait as long as it takes to see them again.
Check out all the photos from the show!
Story and photos by Olivia Khiel
