Mother Nature came to the rescue with sunshine and rainbows at the Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston’s Seaport district, making way for three electrifying performances from Young the Giant, Milky Chance and TALK. The summer tour celebrates two releases from Young the Giant – their fifth studio album, American Bollywood, and their latest acoustic reimagination EP, Both Sides, both released on the band’s own label, Jungle Youth Records.
Young the Giant started out as many do – a group of friends in high school and college that sought out to make music for fun. Initially penned as The Jakes, the Californian band took a leap of faith to give their full attention to the band, which turned out to be a worthwhile investment when the band changed their name and released their eponymous 2010 self-titled debut to critical acclaim. The group has continued to fire on all cylinders over the past decade, constantly touring and reinventing their own songs both live and in the studio. American Bollywood was released as four acts of four songs, pushing the band’s creative boundaries to new levels.
The night was only just beginning after crowd-pleasing performances from TALK and Milky Chance; TALK made an impression on the crowd and left a pleasant taste with their grand finale cover of “School of Rock,” the legendary track from the 2003 film. Unsurprisingly, Milky Chance put on a stellar show that rivaled that of their headlining counterparts, which was definitely led by the same-day release of their own new album, Living In A Haze, that they ended up celebrating with the crowd via a few popped bottles of champagne. Both bands warmed the crowd right up and took the opportunity to enjoy the weather of the outdoor venue.
The whole game changed as the lights went down and narration reverberated through the crowd, accompanied by video clips used in much of the promotion for American Bollywood. With the stage adorned with traditional Indian decoration and several risers, each member took their place and fired right off into the title track of the album. Without missing a beat, they smoothly transitioned into the following track, “Wake Up,” before addressing the Boston crowd as one of their favorites to play on each tour. Much like their album, the live show was broken up into four acts that mixed in each piece of their catalog, with Act I closing on their first radio hit, “Cough Syrup.”
Young the Giant’s tour runs through the rest of the summer before the band returns home in August.
