A change in venue left a lot of open seating at Yuengling Center on Thursday (it was a smaller concert configuration for the venue), but the move from the Cuban Club gave fans of co-headliners Young the Giant and Fitz and the Tantrums room to dance and move around as opening acts COIN and Alice Merton started the show.
Pantone light beams played alongside happy vibes and wholesome feels during Fitz and the Tantrums’ 18-song set, which felt like a pop and dance music version of an Old Navy back-to-school summer sale commercial where each band member pitched in to keep the crowd on its feet. Material from 2013’s More Than Just A Dream — along with hits “123456” and “All the Feels” — was fun, but not as moving or transcendent in comparison to the performance turned in by Young the Giant, which appeared in support of its fourth long-player, Mirror Master. That album is an internal reflection about living in the modern world, and the ornate stage covered in mirrors and mirrored platforms felt apropos.
“We’ve been doing this for a little over 10 years,” vocalist Sameer Gadhia admitted to the sea of fans. The set — a well-balanced serving of songs akin to the Apple Music Young the Giant Essentials Playlist — featured cuts from every album. Before “Firelight,” Gadhia asked the audience to light up the room with cell phone and lighters. The crowd obliged and the light bounced beautifully off of the mirrors before Gadhia and the band finished the set and then worked through an encore anchored by Young the Giant’s biggest hit, “My Body.”
It’s intoxicating to watch a strong vocalist like Gadhia breathe life into each album on stage. Like flipping through Tinder prospects, Gadhia portrays an array of personalities, from coy, to pensive, to casual and full-on bravado then full-on rocker. Though the set was shorter than expected, Young the Giant left fans with a memorable and satisfying concert experience.
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This article appears in Jul 18-25, 2019.