April 8th marked the penultimate performance of the From Here to Mars Tour, a North American Tour that started in Florida on March 16th. The headlining act was We the Kings, and the opening acts consisted of Elena Coats, She is We, and AJR. The concert took place at the House of Blues, Anaheim.
The doors opened at 6:00pm, to the excitement of the line of people waiting in the rain outside. They eagerly packed inside the room, and at 6:30pm, the show began. The first act consisted of two members of We the Kings, Hunter Thompson and Coley Keys, along with a fellow crew member who performed acoustic songs that they wrote while on tour. The songs had never been released before, and the experience created an intimacy between the artists and the crowd. The second act to perform was Elena Coats. She had been featured as the key female vocals in many We the Kings songs, and showcased her original songs as well as multiple covers that evening.
The third act was She is We. Formerly named He is We, lead singer and founder of the group Rachel Taylor spontaneously decided to change the name to She is We. She assured her fans that they were still the same band and even played some of the older songs from their He is We era, which greatly pleased the audience. Taylor also interspersed her songs with anecdotes about her life; struggles she had overcome, the meaning behind songs, and her familial influences.
The fourth performance was by AJR, a trio of brothers from New York City. They are most popular for their electro-pop hit “I’m Ready,” commonly known as the Spongebob Song. They combine electronic music with drum beats, guitar riffs, piano notes, and harmonizing vocals. They perform for the sole purpose of having fun and acting silly on stage. Their energy was infectious, and they had the crowd jumping and dancing through the entirety of the set.
At 9:00pm, We the Kings finally went onstage. They opened the show with ‘Skyway Avenue’ and ‘She Takes Me High,’ and as the first song began, the crowd went wild. They played other songs from their first two albums, like Secret Valentine, and Heaven Can Wait. Other songs in the set list were ‘Say You Like Me,’ ‘Just Keep Breathing’ and songs from their newest album, like ‘Love Again,’ ‘From Here To Mars,’ ‘She,’ ‘Jenny’s Song’ and ‘Runaway.’ They also performed ‘I Feel Alive,’ and had the crowd do a choreographed dance during the chorus, which was both catastrophic and incredible. They performed ‘We’ll Be A Dream,’ and Rachel Taylor joined them onstage to sing the duet, and Elena Coats also joined We the Kings to sing ‘Sad Song’ and ‘XO.’ Of course, the concert wouldn’t have been complete if they hadn’t performed their newest single ‘The Story of Tonight.’ Throughout the concert, the band was wildly interactive, pointing out individual people in the crowd, telling stories and jokes, and talking to people in the audience. They also did covered Jimmy Eat World, the band who they say was their inspiration. Catering to the wants of long-term fans, they closed the show with their biggest hit, ‘Check Yes Juliet,’ which sent the crowd into a yelling, singing, and jumping frenzy.