If I could, I would most definitely ‘press restart’ and relive the Walk The Moon show on Tuesday. Every single second of that night was perfect. I walked into the building after standing in the cold rain for an hour or so and by 7:15, 15 minutes after doors opened, the floor was already packed. I bolted to the balcony, where my boyfriend and I love to sit for the indoor Stage AE shows, to grab a spot before the openers were to come on stage.
Walk The Moon had one opener, which was crazy because I am used to seeing at least 2, but it was a nice change. At 8 o’clock, Company of Thieves took the stage. Not to be confused with Nothing But Thieves, this band is also considered Indie Rock. Originally, they’re from Chicago and have since relocated to Los Angeles. Personally, they remind me of a much poppier and mild Tonight Alive… mostly because every member in the band is male aside from the lead singer. Lead singer, Genevieve, gives off a very bubbly and fun vibe. She owns the stage and has an extremely powerful voice and it was captivating to watch. From the photo pit, and even after I had gone back to my seat, it was visible to me that the audience was into every single moment of their set. I did notice, however, that they didn’t interact much with the crowd, specifically with those in the front row as I’ve seen happen a million times before. But the crowd didn’t seem to notice or mind because they were too busy jamming out and just having fun.
Their sound was fitting to the headliner’s genre as well and I felt they meshed well. I hate going to shows and the openers’ genre(s) don’t match or mesh well with who the headliner is. Like when pop/rock bands have hardcore pop/punk bands open or even rappers. It’s just a turn off for me. Company of Thieves was the perfect opener and their set was fantastic. Their performance was fun and upbeat and kept the audience’s attention throughout. Their Facebook is linked above and you can follow them on just about every form of social media (and I suggest you check out their music on Spotify as well).
Walk The Moon was on stage about a half hour later. Now, if you aren’t familiar with them… do you live under a rock? Lol. The “Shut Up and Dance” band is from Cincinnati, OH, originally, and they are considered Indie/Visual/Lyrical, according to their Facebook page. After having seen them live, those are fitting categories to put them into. If I could compare their show to any other show I’ve been to, it’d be closest to The 1975 because, for starters, their light show was one of the best I’ve seen. Okay, maybe not better than the British band’s, but still pretty close. The production is the perfect complement to their talent and really helps consider their live show a performance.
They opened the show with “Press Restart”, from their newest album, ‘What If Nothing’, and the crowd was lovin’ it. The rest of the songs we were able to photograph were older ones, “Portugal” and “Lisa Baby”. Throughout the entire show, they were energetic AF. Especially lead singer, Nicholas Petricca. He’s wild. He reminds me a lot of Marianas Trench’s Josh Ramsay. He doesn’t appear to give a shit about anything, haha. He dresses in wild prints, has face paint, white dyed hair, and runs around the stage. I just love it. Those types of artists are so fun to shoot.
They continued with “Kamikaze” before slowing the set down a bit for “Aquaman” and “Surrender”. The crowd sang each and every word along with the band, which was awesome. Next was “Tightrope” and then “Different Colors”, before which Nicholas gave a little speech about our society and equality. Most notably, the light show in “Different Colors” was crazy. They used every color on the spectrum and had a backdrop of a rainbow, showing their respect and support of equality.
If I could say anything that’s very consistent within their show, it would be to bring ear plugs because it’s very loud and also, don’t be afraid to dance. Have some fun because they make it hard not to. “Shut Up And Dance” really got the crowd moving. Everyone was singing along, dancing, and fist pumping, including Chris and I (it’s our song :D).
They followed up with a few from the new album, “In My Mind” and “Tiger Teeth” before getting the crowd moving again with “One Foot”. That one is my favorite and I can’t help myself from dancing like a total idiot to it. As I said before, if you’re at a Walk The Moon show, don’t be afraid to dance. They make it so hard to just sit and watch. So, do yourself a favor and give in and dance your socks off.
They continued with “Next In Line” and “Headphones” before ‘mysteriously’ disappearing from the stage awaiting the encore. Once the crowd was loud enough, they came back and made a point to note that this was the loudest crowd of the tour so far. That of course got the crowd to be even louder. The encore consisted of two hits from the 2014 release, ‘Talking Is Hard’, “Up 2 U” and finally, “Anna Sun”.
I can honestly say this was one of the most fun shows I’ve been to in a while. I feel like they’re so underrated because most people know them as the “Shut Up And Dance” band and they’re so much more talented than that. Their show is definitely worth the ticket purchase so if they’re coming near you, go. You will have the time of your life. They have this way of making you forget about all the shit going on in your life and temporarily relieve you of your anxieties for an hour and a half.
Also, go check out their latest album, “What If Nothing” on Spotify < here! >
So, now that you’ve practically lived the show in words, check out some of my favorite photos of the night featuring both Company of Thieves and Walk The Moon! The rest are featured on my Flickr page. These are definitely some of my favorite photos to date.
You can also check out my review and some more photos in the Pittsburgh Music Magazine article < here! >
Abigail McNatt Photography 