Concert review: The 1975 were in the moment Monday
PITTSBURGH – The 1975 built anticipation with an intensifying monotony.
A dozen minutes before its Stage AE start time Monday, the pop-rock band piped in a droning noise – a one-two-three, one-two-three humming beat that didn’t stop; gradually rising in volume as smoke shrouded the darkened stage. Over and over and over the humming continued, until at last, shadowy figures emerged through the murkiness to man their posts.
By then, the sold-out crowd might have cheered a Nickelback tribute band.
Much, much better, it was The 1975, Manchester, U.K.’s latest mass consumed musical export, which received a huge roar from a mostly school-aged audience that stayed until the 11:25 p.m. conclusion, swaying and singing along with a band known for singularly-worded singles “Girls,” “Chocolate” and “Sex.”
Floppy haired frontman Matt Healy, 25, was the focal point. He’s “secretly” dating Taylor Swift, speculated every single gossip-minded entertainment site last week.
If true it’s not surprising, as Healy is that alluring mix of sensitive heart with a touch of bad-boy that ladies know they could tame if they just got the chance.
Swigging periodically from a whiskey bottle and puffing from a few cigarettes Monday, Healy eventually popped open his shirt buttons, revealing his chest tattoo.
Russell Brand could do a spot-on impersonation, though Healy gained my respect with his gentle plea for fans to put down their photo-snapping smart phones.
“I’m not being pretentious…I just want to see your faces and have you embrace the now,” Healy said.
The 1975 sounded a bit guitar-pop with a side of synth-rock.
The surprising standout was sax player John Waugh, whose notes brought a smokey, nocturnal cool to songs like the mid-set “Why Don’t You Figure My Heart Out,” “Pressure” and “Me.”
“She Way Out” had a nice bounciness with intertwined guitar from Healy and Adam Hann and a fleet and fluid bass line from Ross MacDonald.
I’d prefer more grit or heft to Healy’s vocals, though he hit the right emotional tone on “fallingforyou,” a nice song about wanting to turn a friendship into a romance.
And while there’s a sameness to many of The 1975’s songs, there were no excuses for standing still Monday for the spry “Girls,” or satisfying “Chocolate” — that latter pick part of a five-song encore that climaxed with “Sex.”
Opening acts were the pop-rock oriented CRUISR and Young Rising Sons.
Hailing from Red Bank, New Jersey, Young Rising Sons connected more with the crowd, guided by singer Andy Tongren, another of those sensitive guys prone to sipping straight out of a Jack Daniels bottle on stage.
They did a pleasant cover of Modern English’s “I Melt With You.”