YUNGBLUD gets a wild crowd dancing and singing along on his YUNGBLUD – The World Tour with support from The Regrettes and Games We Play.
Games We Play kick off the evening with a set of catchy, alternative rock songs. They are led by singer Emmyn Calleiro, who is clearly the focal point of the band as he jumps and spins about the stage and engages the crowd. Their set starts with the title track from the 2022 EP Get a Job and they also play “Deadbeat” from the same EP. Both songs have Chase Vernon crushing the drums, and Kyle Fink tears it up on guitar while jumping and whipping his hair. A cover of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” is a highlight and has the crowd jumping and singing along. At one point, Emmyn brings out his brother Ethan who he says has one job on the tour, “official merch model. After modeling a pullover, he takes it off and then Emmyn rips the t-shirt off his brother and tosses it to the crowd. The crowd loves it. Following “Hey Ben,” they wrap up their set with “I Hope You’re Happy,” which starts with a cool drum beat before Kyle joins in. It has the fans clapping and cheering. It is a great start to get the crowd warmed up.
Los Angeles-based punk-rockers The Regrettes whip through a 30-minute set that has the fans energized. Lead singer and rhythm guitarist Lydia Night is full of energy and charisma, with a smile that seldom leaves her face. They lead with the upbeat “California Friends” which has the fans bouncing and clapping. She takes a moment to ask the crowd if they know how to mosh and gets them to split into a mini wall of death on the floor. They start playing “Monday” before Lydia’s microphone cuts out and they must stop playing. Once fixed, they restart the song. Removing her shoes and guitar, Lydia takes to dancing and spinning about the stage during “Nowhere.” Brooke Dickson on bass and Drew Thomsen on drums lay down the solid groove that propels the songs.After the slower songs, “Dancing on My Own” and “Pumpkin,” they get things moving again with “Barely on My Mind” which has Lydia’s braids flying as she jumps and spins about the stage. She also drops into the pit to get up close with the fans on the floor. Guitarist Genessa Gariano begins “Seashore” with a catchy riff and shows off her chops with some soloing during the song. They wrap up their set with the fast-paced “Poor Boy” which has the crowd singing along while bouncing. They certainly fired up the crowd for the headliner to come.
Finally, the lights dim, and the crowd erupts as YUNGBLUD runs out onto the stage. Leading with “21st Century Liability,” it is clear the fans tonight are in for a high-energy show. YUNGBLUD is a blur as he sprints back and forth across the stage and throws in kicks and jumps, all while singing and getting the crowd amped up as they sing, jump, and wave their arms. He is like the Energizer Bunny and just keeps going. Next up is “The Funeral” which keeps the energy high. During the song, he grabs some cups of beer from the drum riser and throws them on the fans on the floor. They don’t seem to mind and just continue having fun. For “Tissues,” he breaks out the guitar while singing and strumming away. This is one of his biggest hits to date in the US which was on heavy rotation on satellite radio stations like Alt Nation and it seems everyone knows it as they sing along loudly.Following “parents” and “California,” he gets the crowd to follow along with his asks such as getting them to scream and getting them to boo. He even asks, “Let me see the f**king pinkies” and everyone puts their pinkies in the air. He has such a great connection with his fans and they truly seem to love him, doing what he asks and showing their appreciation with loud cheers and screams. Right before “Strawberry Lipstick” he asks, “Are you ready to go f**king mental with me” and they respond by bouncing and singing along. During “Fleabag,” he takes it to the next level and proceeds to make his way to the middle of the pavilion, giving some hugs along the way. Standing on a seat, he spends a minute or two singing part of the song surrounded by fans. After making his way back to the stage, he brings up a young girl who gets to pick the next song from between “Medication” and “Psychotic Kids.” She chooses “Medication” and the fans cheer wildly at the selection. During the song, YUNGBLUD gets them jumping when he exclaims, “Jump, jump, jump!”
He is quite the entertainer, constantly smiling, and always playing up to the fans to pull them in. During “Anarchist,” he is strutting across the stage when a fan throws a pink hat, and he grabs it nonchalantly out of the air and puts it on. The fans love it! At one point, the fans clap and chant loudly, “We love you,” and YUNGBLUD responds by blowing them kisses. He mentions that the album 21st Century Liability is 5 years old this week and then plays “Kill Somebody” from it which has the fans waving their lit cell phones back and forth. His songs hit on topics like mental health, medication, acceptance for who you are, falling in love, and dealing with insecurities. He has a way of connecting with his fans, many of whom can probably relate to the topics he sings about. In the middle of “Kill Somebody,” he stops playing and takes some time to bring everyone together. He goes on to say, “I cannot believe I have a f**king family in Michigan, baby. I wrote this album at a time in my life when I felt so f**king lost. I felt so alone. I felt so afraid to go outside. I know what I wanted to do is find somebody like me. And guess what, Michigan? I found each and every one of f**king you. And I know it gets hard out there. I know a lot of you feel judged. I know a lot of you feel misunderstood. I know a lot of you feel unheard. But guess what? Look at the people around you. These people are your f**king family, man. I’m going to tell you something. We are building a f**king army, man.”
After finishing “Kill Somebody,” he takes a seat at the piano and starts playing “Sweet Heroine.” Eventually, he puts on the guitar and the rest of the band joins in. After the song, he gets everyone to put their arms around each other and they sway back and forth. He closes out the set with “I Think I’m OKAY,” leading the crowd in waving before exiting the stage.
Returning to the stage, he gets many in the crowd to stand on their seats or get on shoulders and plays the song “Lowlife” which is accompanied by animation and the lyrics on a display behind him. Before the final song “Loner,” he brings ten or more fans on stage, including several very young ones, and gets them jumping and rocking out with him and takes time to hug them. He even plays a game of rock, paper, scissors with a fan who wanted a kiss. Unfortunately, the fan lost. What a wild and fun show. Be sure to catch YUNGBLUD when he comes to a city near you. It is well worth it.
YUNGBLUDWebsite Facebook Twitter
THE REGRETTES
Website Facebook Twitter
