The 1975: Concert Review

The floor shook as hundreds of teenagers, crammed tightly up against each other in a single space, jumped to the staccato rhythm of famous indie rock band, The 1975 on December 13th, 2014 at The Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

The 1975, a popular English band consisting of Matt Healy (vocals, guitar), Adam Hann (guitar), George Daniels (drums), and Ross MacDonald (bass), has created their own style of music as they combined electro-pop and R&B to produce songs that explore stories of love, death, hope, fear, etc. The 1975, the band’s self-titled debut album, has a diverse range of songs that vary from funky, stimulating pop tunes to powerful, dramatic slower melodies.

The show began at 8:00 PM on December 13th, 2014, however fans were already lined up at 9:00 AM due to the fact the entire theater was general admission. Fans that purchased a Sherman Theater Membership at the expense of $100 were allowed to receive a “fast pass” for six fans. This cheap paper wristband with purple smiley faces on it had labeled numbers so fans could leave the line and come back closer to showtime with a guaranteed place in line according to their number. Fans who bought this membership to the theater were also let in before all the other non-members who stood in line.

Despite the seemingly sparse population of the city of Stroudsburg, the show was sold out to over 1,800 fans. Over 100 fans purchased the membership, however, due to security’s disorganization, the number on the wristbands proved to be ineffective as fans ended up quickly sprinting inside out of order in order to stand in a spot close to the stage.

Once inside, the theater was packed. Sweaty fans were pushed up against each other, in hopes that everyone could be as close to the band as possible. As the band’s opening act, CRUISR, performed their indie-rock music, the crowd slowly began to shift more as fans grew more and more eager to push their way to the front.

After CRUSIR left the stage, fog machines clouded the stage and the iconic electrified squares that The 1975 is notorious for became the only source of light throughout the entire theater, adding to the mysterious atmosphere. Thirty minutes after their opening act, the vibration of Daniels’ drums could be felt throughout the whole theater as The 1975 opened with the second track of their album, “The City.”

The crowd was relentless as fans pushed and shoved to try to get to the front. However, the drum-heavy song “Milk” and staccato rhythm of the song “M.O.N.E.Y.” stimulated the crowd to settle down and focus on the music. The fourth song, “So Far (It’s Alright),” correlated its upbeat tone with the fully-lit stage, but the stage dimmed again for the mystifying “She Way Out.”

After the song “Settle Down,” Matt Healy introduced the 1975’s saxophonist, John Waugh, who contributed to the funky pop sounds of the songs “Heart Out” and “Pressure.” All during these songs, Healy carelessly danced around on stage, however, he shifted his attitude towards a more serious note as he introduced the song “Me.” Healy urged the crowd to put down their phones for “Me,” a song with a rather depressing message and dramatic melody. Healy explained, “Life is about retrospective. when you live, you live in the moment. You’ve watched us through a screen until now. So I don’t want you to see us live and then look back through a screen again; that’s just bizarre. So everyone put your phones down and enjoy living in the moment.”

The next song, which Healy introduced his personal favorite, was called “Falling For You,” which then led into the song “You” as Healy stood on Daniels’ drums and danced. Even the instrumental song, “HNSCC,” proved to be a hit with the crowd, despite its more boring, drifting beat in comparison to the other songs. The 1975 closed the main setlist with the song “Girls” with its electrifying, stimulating sound which made the crowd erupt in chants for an encore.

The atmosphere became heavy and quiet as Healy sang the song “Is There Somebody Who Can Watch You” alone on his keyboard in a dim spotlight. However, the mood picked up as the band performed their newer song, “Medicine” then “Robbers.” The band’s most popular song, “Chocolate,” proved to be a crowd favorite as Healy urged members of the crowd to hold hands with the people they came with. The 1975 finished their 19 song setlist with the song “Sex,” which was definitely the most intense, exciting song of the setlist.