5 Seconds of Summer bought a high-energy, self-aware show to Auckland’s Spark Arena that never lost its momentum. The band have returned with a new album and a clear point of view, and Auckland was happy to see them back.
Cub Sport
Cub Sport opened to a nearly full general admission floor. The Brisbane four-piece of Tim Nelson, Sam Netterfield, Zoe Davis and Dan Puusaari have released five studio albums since they were formed in 2010. Their music combined melodic tunes of 80’s synth-pop and the bassline and beats of 90/00’s house and UK garage, providing an excellent warm up set for 5 Seconds of Summer. They ran through Chasin’, Good Guys Go, Hawaiian Party, Replay, Party Pill, Best Friend, Sometimes and Come On Mess Me Up.
5 Seconds of Summer
From the first chord of NOT OK, 5 Seconds of Summer or 5SOS (pronounced 5sauce) had the arena on its feet. The crowd knew every word, and that energy never let up. This was the first show of the Oceania leg of the tour, and after eight years away, 5 Seconds of Summer came back to Auckland ready to have a lot of fun!
The night was built as a satire of boy band life. The set moved through five acts, each a phase in the life of a boy band: The Peak, The Fall, The Yearning, The Rise and The Beginning. Along the way, the band took on the themes of the new album Everyone’s A Star!: the pressure to present a perfect self through phones and online life, addressing mental health, and the boy band label that has followed them since their early days. The songs flowed from one act into the next, so the concert landed as a story rather than a list.
Between the songs, the band interacted with their many adoring fans. Early on they asked who had seen them before, who was there for the first time, and where they had been for eight years. They promised to be “very professional”, to which the crowd emphasised their displeasure, and so when the band declared that they would do what they wanted instead, a cheer erupted through the arena. The band treated us to a slideshow presentation on how to become a star in Auckland, encouraging audience participation, sharing some old photos and how they spent their day as “local Aucklanders” eating hangi, drinking L & P and visiting the Sky Tower. The final step was simple: give the people what they want. “Let’s play some old stuff!”
Act 3 was the emotional centre of the night. Bad Omens and I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again were followed by four songs each fronted by a different member: Starting Line (Luke Hemmings), Have U Found What Ur Looking For? (Ashton Irwin), Don’t Forget You Love Me (Calum Hood) and Enough (Michael Clifford). Giving each member a moment in the spotlight showed the range of the band. Each of them is a talented musician and vocalist in his own right, with their own strengths and their own place in the band. Together, though, they’re clearly stronger than the sum of their parts.
Luke told the crowd that the band first played Auckland in 2012, at a bar called Zeal, to about 200 people which was their first international show. Tonight they played Spark Arena to about 6,000 and it showed how far they’ve come and that they feel at home in New Zealand as the city and country are beautiful. Many fans which were clearly long-time followers, marked the star theme with stars on their faces, in their hair and, in the spirit of the night, in their eyes.
Luke asked whether they were “a boy band for boy bands”. The night suggested they are much more than that: a band that can laugh at the label and still deliver.
Kerrie Evans
Photography by Leonie Moreland
5 Seconds of Summer
Set List
Act 1, The Peak:
NOT OK
No. 1 Obsession
Teeth
Act 2, The Fall:
Easier
More
I Still Feel the Same
No Shame
She’s Kinda Hot
Boyband
Telephone Busy
Evolve
Act 3, The Yearning:
Bad Omens
I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again
Starting Line (Luke Hemmings)
Have U Found What Ur Looking For? (Ashton Irwin)
Don’t Forget You Love Me (Calum Hood)
Enough (Michael Clifford)
Act 4, The Rise:
Amnesia
Heartbreak Girl
Act 5, The Beginning:
English Love Affair
Voodoo Doll
Don’t Stop
Jet Black Heart
She Looks So Perfect
Encore:
Everyone’s A Star!
Youngblood
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