Australian mega-pop band 5 Seconds of Summer’s 2022 “Take My Hand” Tour came to Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater.
The Take My Hand tour, previously named the “No Shame Tour” was originally scheduled for 2020. As we all know 2020 was not a good year for touring and fans around the world had to wait 2 long years to see their beloved quartet in the flesh. The tour kicked off April 3rd in Dublin, Ireland, and will end December 20th in their hometown Sydney, Australia.
Downtown Nashville was packed on June 30th. Every single venue in the area had a major act performing. For example, the Stadium Tour featuring Motley Crew was happening just a few blocks away from the 5 Seconds of Summer show.
It’s worth mentioning that 5 Seconds of Summer could not resist the lure of Nashville’s famous rooftop stages and ended up playing a gig in one of our local bars preceding their performance at Ascend Amphitheater.
Late June in Nashville is scary hot. I was shocked to learn that fans had been waiting outside the venue for up to 10 hours under the scorching sun to score a privileged spot in the front row. When they finally got in and thought they had made it, the weather conspired against them with a storm. Concert organizers decided that it was best to evacuate the venue for safety reasons, and the fans found themselves outside in yet another line.
When I arrived I was thankful for the perks I get as press, like not having to wait in line. The line was huge! Surprisingly no one seemed to care. Everyone was happy and pleasant to be around.
Once the sky clear out and the storm,the night began with Manchester indie punk rock band Pale Waves. The 4 piece band consists of 2 girls and 2 dudes. The band seems to have a nice following with one of their videos having 14 million views. Their vibe was The Cranberries meets Avril Lavigne. The lead singer plays guitar and changes guitars every other song. The band has great chemistry and the crowd seemed to have enjoyed the performance. I’m certain that if they come back to Nashville it will be a successful show.
When Pale Waves left the stage the venue played an eclectic array of music, ranging from Lorde to Rick Springfield. The crowd was overwhelmingly young women. I did see a few guys here and there but, let’s be real, Ascend was full of babes that night.
The stage went black and the crowd roared with palpable excitement. The band had a blue laser and the effect was extraordinary. It looked like they were brought to the venue from space by aliens. They all stood together under the blue beam and welcomed us to their show.
The opening song was “No Shame” and it was explosive. I honestly did not know much about this band and their electric performance took me by surprise. The lead singer moved from one corner of the stage to the other, and so did the other members of the band. The stage display was wonderful, from space-like landscapes, to deserts, to meadows, and even a firework display. By the end of the third song, I had transcended to another dimension.
Comparing the songs they played on stage to their YouTube videos you can see that the band has aged like fine wine. Their music sounds mature when they play it live and that was so refreshing to me. The drummer was one of my favorites. They had a fisheye camera recording him and displaying the footage on the jumbotrons flanking the stage. He was not forgotten in the dark behind the band like many other drummers are. He was in your face thanks to the amazing videographer. And he rocked every single bit.
The choice of songs seemed to be perfect because at the beginning of each song you could hear the approving screams: “Oh My GOD, that’s my song!!!” At one point during one of the slower songs I looked behind me and what a treat it was to see the entirety of Ascend lit up with the cell phone flashlights of a thousand people. It was unreal; they looked like fireflies.
The band played a total of 26 songs, each song performed as if it was the first one of the night. After being at their show it is easy for me to understand they are so popular and why fans are willing to fly from other countries just to see them play one night.
I dare to say that no one left the venue feeling like they should have stayed home. Every single hour waiting in line and every penny spent was worth it.
5 SECONDS OF SUMMER
https://5sos.comhttps://www.facebook.com/5secondsofsummer
https://www.instagram.com/5sos/
https://www.youtube.com/user/hemmo1996
PALE WAVES
https://www.palewaves.co.ukhttps://www.facebook.com/palewaves
https://www.instagram.com/palewaves/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkk4nuvE6HzYw1g8UBsutag
SET LIST:
- No Shame
- Easier
- More
- Want You Back
- Disconnected
- Take My Hand
- Red Desert
- Talk Fast
- Beside You
- Waste the Night
- Complete Mess
- Who Do You Love
- Wildflower
- Best Years
- Easy for You to Say
- If Walls Could Talk
- Old Me
- Me, Myself And I
- Amnesia
- 2011
- Castaway
- She Looks So Perfect
- Teeth
- Jet Black Heart
- Ghost of You
- Youngblood
