*This article is solely the opinion of the author and does not reflect the views of Lasell College or Her Campus.*
5 Seconds of Summer is a band that I’ve been loyal to for years and it’s not even for their music. When I was dragged to see them with my younger sister at MetLife with One Direction in 2014, I instantly fell in love with how much they seemed to love being on stage and how much passion they put into performing. Ever since then, I’ve seen them every chance I got with my sister for every tour they’ve had since then where we traveled to Las Vegas and Connecticut to see them. We even made the Vegas trip a family ordeal, where my dad swore that was the most interactive and passionate show he’s ever seen someone play.
So, when they announced another tour coming to a tiny venue in Boston, I was incredibly excited to try to get tickets, which my roommate and I ended up getting with no problem at all as soon as they went on verified fan pre-sale. The other tickets, however, during regular sale sold out seconds within being uploaded online. It was obviously no question people were so hyped for this concert to see their idols once again before they released their third album.
A month goes by and its finally time for the concert. My roommate and I arrived around 4 p.m. just to check out the scene and get food before and we were amazed to see the line stretched all the way across the building, with dedicated fans showing up since 8 a.m. that morning. Doors officially opened at 7 p.m. and people were slowly ushered in and by slow, I mean extremely slow. Since there were so many people, it took 45 minutes just to get into the venue. So, at this point of waiting over an hour in the cold when I expected 20 minutes at most, I was already a little mad and was just hoping that the show would eventually put me in a good mood like how this band usually does live.
Well, that moment never seemed to come. Doors were supposed to open at 7 p.m. and then the show would start at 8 p.m. with no opener and only the main act. But everyone was standing around until 8:50 p.m. when finally, the lights dimmed and it was time for them to finally come out. It started pretty pumped up with everyone screaming as soon as they walked out and that they could finally see their idols. They started with their hit song “She Looks So Perfect” and continued on with the show.
I kept waiting to hear the songs that I was familiar with and only four of them played, which I was a little confused about. They have certain songs that have been on their set list since the start, so to not hear them was a disappointment. They played a bunch of new songs off of their third album, but honestly, to me at least, concerts aren’t fun unless you can sing and dance, and you can’t really do that with music you don’t know. I was waiting to hear them talk to the fans and interact like they usually do or introduce their old classics, but it never happened. They played their new hit single “Want You Back”, bowed, then left and I just stood there confused. They didn’t even announce that it was going to be their last song and they had only been on stage for not even an hour, so a lot of people were left open mouthed and confused. Fans eagerly cheered encore, because if there’s anything 5SOS is known for its their intense and fun encores and with such a short show it was bound to happen, yet NOTHING happened. In fact, the lights went on almost immediately and they started kicking everyone out.
So Luke, Michael, Ashton, and Calum, what’s the deal? You show up to stage late and didn’t even perform for an hour, and leave all your fans hanging at the end (mind you most of these fans had been waiting 10+ hours in the freezing cold just to see you). I used to love how much this band loved and engaged with their fans, but the only thing I can think of to describe this concert was a waste of time and money. Compared to all of their other shows I’ve seen, this one was the biggest let down.
In my opinion, I think this band has already peaked. At this point, they’re already extremely famous and rich, so why would they care anymore? They try to stay relevant with this tour and a new album on the way, but if you’re not going to perform with the same passion you did a few years ago, what’s the point? I think the reason so many people thought it was so great was because they’re overly obsessed with the band and don’t think they can do no wrong, but I’m not here buying it.
Personally, moving on, I think this is the end of me supporting the band. If you’re not going to be in it for the fans and you just care about your branding and your image, then I feel no need to pour into that by feeding you money. Anyone who has tickets to this upcoming tour, good luck. I hope you have a better experience than I did.