A FRESH START
The Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer, in wake of releasing their new single ‘COMPLETE MESS’ on March 2nd, has officially announced a tour for 2022.
After the tour for their 4th album, CALM, was postponed multiple times throughout 2020 and 2021, the band decided to rename the tour to Take My Hand tour for 2022. With the new name, the band will be setting out to the UK and Ireland, Europe, North America, and Australia with some new songs under their belt.
In recent interviews, the band has mentioned wanting to play songs from their upcoming album live on tour.
In December of 2021, the band celebrated its 10th anniversary with the release of a special song, 2011. The song is an ode to both their current and past selves, taking pieces from the different albums they’ve released and successfully meshing it all into one. Only a few months later, 5SOS released their newest single, COMPLETE MESS, and have been teasing their 5th album which will be released sometime in 2022.
In recent interviews, the band has mentioned wanting to play songs from their upcoming album live on tour. With that comes a few questions. What songs will they perform? How long will the setlist be? What will the stage production look like? There are many mysteries about this tour that any fan of 5 Seconds of Summer should be excited about.
THE SETLIST
Due to the timing of the release of CALM, the band only got to play a few songs from it to some small crowds while doing promotional shows before COVID-19 forced the halting of all live music performances. Because of this, they still have yet to tour CALM and also have to account for playing the music they’re on the brink of releasing. Not only do they have possibly two albums to try and evenly balance in the setlist, but they also have the pressure to please longtime fans by including songs from their other albums as well.
In recent interviews, 5 Seconds of Summer have mentioned wanting to play the longest live shows they have ever done. While in the studio last year, the band did a livestream ranking their entire discography in a tier list, to which they concluded that the top half would probably be what they would use to determine the tour setlist. With all this information and some additional research, I have a good estimation of the songs we will probably be hearing on the Take My Hand tour and why.
After accounting for a variety of different factors, it is likely that 5SOS will perform for 1 hour and ½ to 2 hours, more than they’ve ever done but not too long that it could threaten their health. The setlist will probably be 22-26 songs long, consisting of singles and non-singles from all their albums.
While in the studio last year, the band did a livestream ranking their entire discography in a tier list, to which they concluded that the top half would probably be what they would use to determine the tour setlist.
The first song locked in to be played on this upcoming tour is their biggest song and single off their third album, Youngblood. It is also likely for them to play their second biggest hit, She Looks So Perfect. Apart from that, it’s likely they won’t play many songs from their first album except for Amnesia because they ranked it high in their tier list, it’s a successful single, and it’s a fan favorite. If they take what is being most requested on Twitter from their first album, the other most likely song from their first album they play would be Everything I Didn’t Say.
From their second album, Sounds Good Feels Good, they are most likely going to play Jet Black Heart, which was a single that they have continuously played live since its release. The whole band feels passionate about it and it is another fan favorite. They also might play Waste The Night, which they performed on the last tour they went on and ranked high on their tier list. The final song from their second album that they are likely to perform is Outer Space/Carry On, as they announced they were taking into account the requests of fans and that is probably their most-requested song to play of all time.
From their third album, Youngblood, we have already discussed that the title track, Youngblood, will probably be a song they include every single time they perform for the rest of their careers as a result of it being their biggest hit. However, there are still plenty of songs from their third album that will probably be included in the setlist. Recently on Twitter, drummer Ashton Irwin confirmed that they will be playing the song More. They will also most likely perform the song Ghost of You, which is the most-streamed non-single on that album, a fan favorite, and a high-ranked song on their tier list. Based on Twitter fan requests and songs they’ve played on past tours, it is likely they’ll play If Walls Could Talk or Why Won’t You Love Me from Youngblood.
Their fourth and most recent album is where the biggest mystery lies because they’ve only had the opportunity to play 4 songs from it live. Because of this, it is best to assume that they will perform these songs, which are Easier, Teeth, No Shame, and Red Desert. It is also likely they will perform their single Wildflower because the band loves it and it is a good crowd energizer. The chances of them performing their fourth single, Old Me, live on this tour is uncertain due to the fact that it is fairly unpopular among fans and gets overshadowed by other songs. However, it is likely they will perform Lover Of Mine, which was heard in the background of a video the band took while at rehearsals for tour recently and it ranked high on their tier list. Likewise, their song Best Years will also probably be performed on the Take My Hand tour because it ranked high in the tier list and the band has consistently talked about it being a staple in their discography.
Lastly, there are songs that aren’t on albums that we also have to consider. First and foremost, it is likely they will play the two songs they recently released, 2011 and Complete Mess. They have also recently tweeted about playing their song Disconnected, a big fan favorite, which also ranked high in their tier list. Lastly, it is possible that they will play Wrapped Around Your Finger, another fan favorite, because one of the band members tweeted a screenshot of it trending on Twitter shortly after the band asked fans what they want to hear on the tour.
Ultimately, there are many unknowns, but every fan of 5 Seconds of Summer should be excited about this tour. Not only has the band been resting for two years, but they are seemingly tailoring the Take My Hand tour to give fans exactly what they’ve been asking for and show the world their best production yet.