The 1975 Rocks the Barclay Center

The 1975 Rocks the Barclay Center

Ayla Guttman, Staff Writer

This was the 1975’s first headlining tour and definitely won’t be their last. This 18,000 seat arena was completely filled by all types of people who shared a love for great music. Prior to the 1975, Japanese House started off the night with a chill set of songs that fans responded great to by dancing along the whole time. Next, another London based punk band ,Wolf Alice, took the stage. They had impressive vocals that got the audience in the zone to see the 1975. Almost immediately after Wolf Alice left the stage, the enormous arena seemed to tremble from the screams of people begging for the 1975 to walk onto the stage already.

As the boys cooly entered the stage, their signature four rectangular LED lights lit up in an electric light pink. The silhouettes of the band members was enough to get every girl to nearly pass out. The fact that a boy band from Wilmslow, Cheshire who were initially turned down by every record label for a period of 7 years, could fill out an arena where people like Beyonce perform was something special. As Matt Healey (vocals) said during his set, ““We’re not massively all over magazines, we’re not massively over radio, so we’re very much a fan-generated band.” As Healey began to sing his first note he was accompanied by the audience who couldn’t wait to sing out every word with him.  Everyone danced as the smoke from the stage filled the arena. Healey gracefully took a bouquet of flowers from a fan and said “F*ck, this is my life now” with a grin that could have melted anyone’s heart. The band started with playing top hits from their latest album like  “Love Me,” “UGH!,” “Heart Out,” and “Loving Someone.” With every song it seemed as if Healey was having a conversation with the whole audience while flipping his curls and moving his hands around like he has completely lost himself in the music.

As the party continued, the band decided to slow it down for a bit and urged the crowd to abandon their phones and “just be people” while they play their more dramatic songs like “Me,” “Fallingforyou,” “Somebody Else,” and “Paris” which included seductive sax solo’s and moments where you thought Healey was having an actual mental breakdown on the stage. He lit his cigarette throughout the concert and played the electric guitar as he puffed out the smoke, fogging up the camera filming the band. The LED lights changed in colors as if it was switching to fit the moods of each song. The whole production felt like we were in an alternate universe and the 1975 were our leaders who joined everyone together with their music that can’t be defined by a certain genre. It has a little bit of everything for everyone.