Concert Review: Young the Giant @ Revention Music Center

It’s always so exciting to see one of your favorite bands put on such a stellar and enthralling performance. What began as just another regular night in Downtown Houston, quickly turned into something much more. The vibrations and tonalities of it all swept listeners off their feet and into a frenzy. It was hard to find even one person who wasn’t consumed by the infectious dance melodies of Young the Giant. They made it a point to grab the audience’s attention, and with it, their mind and soul. Everything was left on the dance floor that night, and I feel very lucky to have been a part of it.

At the start, one could almost feel a bit stir-crazy from the anticipation. Already half way into my Coke and Rum, I had the feeling that I was about to be in for treat. All in one movement, the lights in the auditorium dimmed, and the crowd cheered with enthusiasm as the group took the stage. Lead vocalist, Sameer Gadhia showed no hestitation, and neither did the band as they went straight into their latest single off the Home of the Strange album, “Something To Believe In”.Almost immediately, it had hit me that this band had seriously redefined their sound into a jamming, synth-drenched, “future funk”. Gadhia was dressed in a cream-white button up shirt, with a retro sparkle tunic on top. It was if he had channeled his inner “Prince” or “Michael Jackson”. He was bold, passionate and charismatic and the rest of the band were absolutely on point. It was at this moment when I realized that these guys were no longer your average Californian Indie rockers, they had transformed into international pop stars.

Young the Giant performed many songs off their newest album, such as “Titus Was Born”, “Mr. Know-It-All”, and “Nothing’s Over”. The band, however, played numerous songs off their older two albums, fan favorites such as “Mind Over Matter”, “Apartment”, “I Got”, and “Cough Syrup”. As fans chanted along with the articulate and fervent Sameer, it would be a crime to call this concert anything other than a success.By the end of the night, Young The Giant took their bows and left the stage, but the crowd was still hungry for more. “ONE MORE SONG, ONE MORE SONG.”, they cried. Alas, it was all in good showmanship, that they would return to end the night with not only one, but three songs after that. It was definitely one of the highlights of the night, as they would return to play “Amerika”, “My Body” and my personal favorite “Silvertongue”.

In essence, Young the Giant is a group that transformed itself into a vibing enmity of the night. I am looking forward to buying another ticket to the next show they have. Whenever they decide to return, hundreds of jive dancin’ fools, myself included, will be waiting…

Concert Grade: A+

By Franco Rosa