The 1975 made their only stop in Ohio on their 2016 North American tour this past Sunday, Oct. 30 in the Kent State M.A.C. Center.
Students started pitching tents and lining up in front of the venue the Saturday afternoon before the show. The day of the concert, many faced the cold and rain for hours while waiting for doors to open. Matty Healy, Adam Hann, Ross MacDonald and George Daniel have been touring the United States, promoting their second album, I Like it When You Sleep, For You Are so Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It. The band added Kent State as a show while on their tour, visiting Pittsburgh two days later.
The night started off with 070 Shake and some hip-hop beats. The New Jersey native rapped her latest single, “Trust Nobody” in her black hoodie, ripped jeans and wet curly hair. Her DJ hyped up the crowd with energetic beats to get everybody ready for The 1975. 070 Shake announced that it was their first time in Ohio and on tour. As the lights dimmed and the fog set in, The 1975 opened up with their new hit single, “Love Me”, setting the tone for the rest of the night. Matty contributed to the set’s fog, smoking in between several songs and taking sips of wine. The band played a mix of some of their newer songs along with ones from their first album, 2013’s self titled, The 1975. I’ve seen the band twice before but being able to hear them play “This Must Be My Dream” and “Undo” for the first time was a real treat to hear. Saxophonist, John Waugh gave the crowd the feels during his solo performances in the songs, “If I Believe You,” Undo,” and “Heart Out.” He really adds the perfect touch of jazz to the desired songs, putting the room into a tranced emotional daze.
The crowd rocked out to one of the band’s most famous singles, “Sex” adding strobe lights to make everyone jump and down. They showed off their instrumental aspects in their single, “I Like it When You Sleep, For You Are so Beautiful Yet so Unaware of It,” based off their album along with “LostMyHead.” Matty noted on the touchy subject of talking politics at the concert, encouraging all students to go out and vote for this year’s election. The band announced that they skipped the Album of the Year Awards ceremony to play at Kent State and their two Pittsburgh shows. Matty jumped into the crowd and was held up by not-so-strong girls and thanked us all for their award. The 1975 ended the concert with the radio-hit single, “The Sound,” which gave everyone an overall great experience of the show. Combining a unique stage set and catchy tunes, The 1975 was definitely one of Kent State’s best concerts. I was very pleased with Kent State’s United Student Government (USG) for picking an alternative rock band as one of this year’s concerts. I can only hope they continue to promote good music for future shows!