Young The Giant // 3-22-12 // Houston, TX
Tour Review by Heather Phillips
When I arrived at the venue the line of people waiting to get into Warehouse Live was wrapped around the entire building. VMA performers, Young The Giant were headlining a sold out show in Houston and everyone was anxious to get inside for a good spot.
There were still people waiting to get inside as the first band began to play. Grouplove opened the show and did not disappoint in getting the crowd ready for the headliner. I had never taken a listen to this band before but was impressed with their energy. Offering up a dance pop music filled set no one in this band seemed to lose their smile or stop moving the entire time and neither did the audience. A band like this is definitely an ideal opener for a show of this size.
At 10:15 it was time for the main event. The house music cut off, the lights went down and the crowd began to chant the band’s name. Opening with the song “I Got”, vocalist Sameer Gadhias’ voice and dance moves kept the audience’s attention the entire time. His stage presence, as well as the rest of the band’s, was full of passion; you could tell the group loved what they were doing.
The crowd sweated and danced along through a set full of new and old favorites. YTG debuted a total of 3 new songs and announced that their new album is expected to be released by Spring of next year and that they hoped everyone still “stuck around” to hear it. Judging by the reaction to the new songs it’s easy to say most of the audience isn’t going anywhere.
The third new song titled “Camera” was a bit slower than the first new two. It started off with Sameer playing keyboard with a single white spotlight shining on him until the rest of band kicked in; a very different vibe from the rest of the high energy set but still winning the crowd’s approval.
The band then went straight into playing “St. Walker” which was finished in a completely chaotic manner with everyone playing their hardest, even Sameer stood alongside drummer Francois Comtois and beat a tambourine on his cymbals until the house lights went down. A very intense “ending” but the crowd knew there was more. The band shortly came back to play a three song encore, ending with their hit single “My Body”. There wasn’t a single person in the crowd standing still during the finish. There was so much energy bursting from the crowd that Sameer even went as far as leaping onto the barricades to single along with the crowd in the final moments.
The crowd emerged from the building drenched in sweat; the evening was a hit. Both bands put on a great show that completely captivated the audience. Be sure to catch these bands on the road for a truly unforgettable night.
View more photos here.
