Seeing The 1975 … Still at Their Very Best
I had the privilege of going to both nights of The 1975’s new show at Madison Square Garden, let me tell you all about it.
The 1975 preforming during their second night at MSG.
Anticipation was at a low. I bought the tickets in July and hadn’t been following the tour as much as I had followed the previous leg “The 1975 at Their Very Best”. I only became a fan of the band a year or so ago, yet they quickly became all I listened to. With their wide range of sound, I was never bored and came to love every album.
Being Funny in a Foreign Language shaped the latter part of my 2022 and the majority of my 2023. This year I played the album 638 times and listened to the band for a total of 15,407 minutes (according to my Apple Music Replay). I fell in love with the groovy saxophone bits, the analog-y production, and the alluring lyrics. Although I never necessarily related to the album, I felt somewhat close to it. I can never quite put my finger on what it is, but something felt inherently “me” about it. I feel like when I tell someone it’s my favorite album, it gives them a good picture of who I am.
After obsessing over this album for months, I knew I needed to see the band perform songs like “Happiness” and “Oh Caroline” live, and I’m so glad I did.
Both nights were absolutely electric.
People were singing, dancing, jumping, I mean the entire arena was shaking during “The Sound”! Screams and cheers filled the place along with everyone singing the words to every song. The band seemed to be having a great time and the crowd loved it. I don’t think I have ever enjoyed myself that much, and maybe it was something about MSG that made it extra special. I had such a blast.
The band preforming “TOOTIMETOOTIME” on the first night at MSG
As I was walking out of the venue on night two, I overheard a group of friends debating on which night was better – a question I had also been thinking about. One guy took the stance that night two was objectively better while another person said that they couldn’t compare the two. As we headed to the escalators, they concluded that both nights were just entirely full of fun and that you really can’t beat that. I completely agreed.
As the band mentioned during the show, it’s not often that 20,000 people can come together in a room and enjoy something they agree on. No matter how much societal critique and theatrical performance you put into a show, there is nothing that can take away the pure enjoyment of live music. I’m glad that this is what they decided to focus on this tour, putting the “performance art” aspects of the show aside – for the most part.
