The 1975 make retro cool again

SF show brings fans together

With beautiful effects and light changes, The 1975 managed to unite the crowd at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco with an emotional and exhilarating evening Friday, April 28.

Prior to the event, fans of the band chatted happily in front of City Hall excited for the night to come.

The night began with performances from two The 1975-esque openers — Colouring and Pale Waves. Apart from all three being from the U.K., both bands were similar in musical style to The 1975.

In their short time on stage, Colouring did a good job of performing a multitude of songs that showed range, while Pale Waves kept the crowd pumped with upbeat songs throughout their set. Though it was clear the crowd was eagerly waiting for the headliner.

From the moment The 1975 hit the stage with the song “The 1975” from their second album, the audience was hooked. As soon as the first words escaped front man Matty Healy’s mouth the entire room stood up and I looked around as members of the audience sang along and watched on mesmerized.

Going to a The 1975 concert is an experience. Each song has a different mood associated with it emphasized by the lights and images projected in the background.

During the song “Loving Someone,” a rainbow was shined across the stage as people all over the venue held up colored hearts passed out by fellow audience members prior to the concert.

Its moments like these when fan orchestrated projects that work out make all concertgoers feel more connected to one another. At The 1975, no one judges you for being extra, instead the vibe encourages people to be expressive and excited for the experience.

One interesting aspect of the show was the choice to play the songs “Change of Heart” and “Robbers” back to back. Both of these songs are part of a story-arc within the songs about a rocky relationship Healy had that ran its course.

Each of the tracks reference a girl with a “face straight out a magazine,” but “Change of Heart” shows how their breakup has morphed his view of her and instead of being as beautiful as he once thought she just seems like anyone else to him.

Later on in a wonderful moment of the show, Healy asked for members of the crowd to put their phones away and stop recording for at least one song, while there inevitably were the few who continued to record, the crowd listened. As my eyes gazed from the audience to the stage people took their time to pay attention to the concert in front of them.

Throughout the show it was the band’s dedication to connecting to its audience that showed. Passion radiated from each of the members as they danced and played their instruments.

The night ended with an encore including three songs, which perfectly embodied The 1975 concert experience. “If I Believe you” works as an emotional struggle with faith while “Chocolate and “The Sound” ends the show with an energetic and electrifying light show.