Desert Diamond Arena sparkled on Friday night when 5 Seconds of Summer’s Everyone’s a Star! World Tour landed in Phoenix. The Aussie quartet had a (nearly) full circle moment, playing just across the street from where they’d opened for One Direction over a decade prior- and it’s safe to say that this success has deep roots in a devoted fanbase.
The Band CAMINO arrived to cheers from the early crowd, voicing their excitement at joining the biggest tour of their career to date. The Nashville rockers lined up 40 minutes of their very best as they poured their hearts into an arena-worthy performance. The fans had done their research, singing along to “Daphne Blue” and “Haunted”, bobbing along to the band’s new tunes and encouraging their onstage silliness. The set was short but entirely memorable, cementing a newfound love for The Band CAMINO in the hearts of those in the audience.
5 Seconds of Summer is absolutely leaning into the playful, campy nature of their latest album, turning the arena screens into the backdrop of their concert/talk show/PowerPoint presentation- starting with an introductory video that put the fans front and center. The night was broken into six acts, starting strong with “NOT OK” and the pulsing beat of “Teeth” as the band showered the arena in star-shaped confetti (the first of many paper blizzards for the evening).
Act II rewound the clock a bit back to “Easier” and “No Shame” before the band decided it was time to warp back to 2014 with the cheeky “She’s Kinda Hot”. 5SOS made the most of their expansive, curving stage, running from end to end and getting up close to the fans clamoring for more on the barricade. Singer Luke Hemmings embodied a true rockstar, hyping up the crowd in the center while Michael Clifford and Calum Hood took their own turns in the vocal and instrumental spotlight. Drummer Ashton Irwin bashed away at his kit from atop the hood of the car placed onstage while also joining the rest of the band on the stage’s catwalk later in the set.
After a hilarious PowerPoint interlude that found the band exploring the best Arizona has to offer, Act IV was dedicated to each member’s solo music as they traded off at center stage. Clifford, Hemmings, Hood and Irwin work beautifully as a band but there was an undeniable magic in watching each of them express their solo artistry within the embrace of the rest of the unit onstage. The fans also showed their immense love for 5SOS with a light up fan project to the tune of “Ghost of You”.
Naturally, the fans had to decide who would win Boyband of the Year and it was a real nailbiter before one lucky attendee had the honor of presenting the award (for the 38th consecutive time) to 5SOS. Their delight carried into the latter half of the set, keeping the mood light and fun throughout. The night’s homestretch found the group back on the catwalk for a stunning acoustic rendition of “Amnesia” and the fan-voted cover of Wheatus’ “Teenage Dirtbag” (taking a lot of fans back in time in the best way).
The band is celebrating milestone anniversaries, including 14 years of their self-titled so they celebrated with a winding mashup of fan favorites like the crashing “English Love Affair” and hit single “She Looks So Perfect”. Another confetti shower accompanied the band’s exit but the incessant cheers of the fans brought them back to close the show with “Everyone’s a Star!” and “Youngblood”. It was a night of community, confetti and pure comfort- 15 years later, it’s safe to say that 5 Seconds of Summer is Arizona’s “No. 1 Obsession”.
