The air was frigid, but excitement buzzed around Red Rocks Amphitheater as a sold out crowd anticipated the arrival of The 1975 on stage. Chatter amongst friends about what the opening song would be or who they were most excited to see filled the silence that was once there until…
Lights off.
Screams replaced the soft chatter from before as black figures filed on to the stage and the lights slowly came up until they all shut off abruptly. Pink lights filled the stage as the band started playing “Love Me” and Matty Healy began moving around the stage as if it came naturally.
Two things still stick out in my mind from this show. 1.) Matty’s dance moves are off the charts and 2.) the lighting for the show was phenomenal. Both of these components really came to life by the second song on the setlist, “UGH!” and continued to be present throughout the rest of the set.
After dancing around the stage for around half of the set, Matty asked if the crowd was willing to do him a favor. He simply asked that the next song was spent just the crowd and the band, no cell phones. The band then proceeded to play “Me” which filled Red Rocks with an eery feeling that only The 1975 could accomplish.
“Oh I was thinking about killing myself, don’t you mind.”
Everyone around me had their eyes closed and hands stretched out towards the sky. On stage the band seemed to be doing the same. Being able to experience such a connection between fans and an artist was extremely moving. All I could think was, “this is what music is for. Right here.”
Every song performed that night had something special in it, but the one that plays over and over in my head is “If I Believe You,” which was part of the encore. Before this tour started Matty did a lot of research on lighting and what makes people feel certain things in order to apply it to their live show, and this song definitely showed that. Dramatic movements alongside fast flashing strobe lights made for an image that I’m not sure my brain will ever forget. And I don’t want it to.
The 1975 are true artists and really bring that to light with the use of dancing, lighting and just pure talent. Many of my friends looked at me like I was crazy when I said how badly I wanted to see The 1975 because they all made fun of how “generic” they are. To them I say, The 1975 is one of the farthest things from generic. They are all such talented musicians that all feel passionately about not only their music, but the fans that are listening to their music as well.
At one point, the entire band was looking out at the huge crowd that was packed into the seats of Red Rocks in complete awe and Matty said, “This is a fan based band, we don’t have a lot of songs on the radio. You guys did this.” (Or something along those lines.) Point is, The 1975 is one of those rare bands that still understand that fans are the reason they have what they have and they make a point of letting the fans know it, and to me that is absolutely amazing.
The set list wrapped up with an energetic performance of “Girls” which was as much fun live as you might imagine. Everyone was dancing their hearts out and it sounded so good live, you might think you were just listening to a sound recording of it in your bedroom. When the song finished the guys ran off stage while the crowd continued to demand more, and rightfully so.
I chanted along with the crowd while my body was filled with adrenaline from what I had just had the pleasure of being a part of. I even forgot how cold I was. When the time came, I was expecting the guys to run back out on the stage filled with energy and play one of their biggest hits “Chocolate,” but quite the opposite happened.
The lights came up on stage and Matty walked out with just an acoustic guitar, he approached the microphone and stood there for a minute.
He then said, “We haven’t sound checked this one, but this is such a special night I want to play this. It’s the last song on our record, ‘She Lays Down.’ It’s about my mom.”
“She lays down on her bedroom floor. The chemicals that make her laugh don’t seem to be working anymore.”
At this point in the song Matty got too emotional and had to step away for a second. After taking a moment he started the song over and apologized. At this moment I had never felt so in touch with an artist, and I have been to a lot of live shows. I stood there in awe of how brave he was to be putting himself out there like this. The song was beautifully played and had the entire crowd lit up by flashlights on cell phones as everyone swayed together. Some cried, some sang passionately and some just took in what they were experiencing. Once again, music had brought people together in a way unimaginable and it was amazing to be a part of.
The encore went on to include “The Sound,” “If I Believe You,” “Chocolate” and “Sex.” I remember not wanting the night to end because The 1975 was just that impressive live. It was definitely worth my money and I am so glad that I was able to experience this night.
If you are ever given the option to see The 1975 live, just do it. Don’t even think about it, just go. You won’t regret it. They bring everything you want in a live act: showmanship, humor, emotion, passion and anything else you could dream of. They will leave you thinking about it daily for the next month, saying to yourself “this must be my dream” as you revisit all of the photos and videos taken in order to continue living that dreamlike night. Truly inspiring.