Five years after the release of A Moment Apart, fans were clamoring for more ODESZA in 2022; they asked and they received. And just last month, The Last Goodbye was presented like a gift, a reward for our collective patience. After so much anticipation for the duo’s return, it’s no surprise that Phoenix’s Ak-Chin Pavilion was packed to the gills on Wednesday night with 20,000 people ready to lose themselves in the unique soundscapes.
Gilligan Moss and San Holo bring similar styles of laid-back, melodic beats and beckoned the fans to the venue as the sun set. Friends compared outfits and chatted on the hillside while music flowed from the stage, and the twilight that fell during Sylvan Esso’s set gave them time to test out their glow wands and other light up props.
Soon, the dimmed house lights and first whispers of “This Version of You” elicited cheers that echoed around the west Valley. The soft intro gave way to the booming drums of “Behind the Sun” and accompanying spurts of fire — ODESZA wasn’t wasting any time. After all, they now have multiple albums and a side project in their catalog and only an hour and a half to showcase the best of it. Some of their picks? “Say My Name”, “Wide Awake”, and “HEART ATTACK” from their collab, BRONSON. Also: a handful of mashups, just to throw a few more songs into the setlist. The duo and their drumline can certainly captivate an audience, but ODESZA is also touring with vocalists Charlie Houston and Naomi Wild, who add another layer to the output. The show is even more of a team effort than the standard, and everyone gets their moment to shine.
Lining the edge of the stage to take their final bow, the ODESZA team was visibly elated to be back with the fans after three years off the road. Here’s hoping this wasn’t the last goodbye.
Check out even more photos from the show!
Story and photos by Taylor Knauf
