Photos By: Amir Mohammadzadeh
By: Leah Sredl
Pulling up to the back of SOMA’s venue, it looks practically like a construction zone with chain-linked fences lining the exterior, acting as a funnel herding people running towards the entrance of the venue to get in line.
Once inside the venue, it was packed with all ages. I found myself shoulder to shoulder with a guy in a college shirt and two middle-aged women you could tell were having a mom’s night out. Although it was an eclectic mix of ages, that was not a factor the second the band played their first note. Everyone’s bodies just started moving in perfect harmony to the music.
Even though I was packed to the far right of the stage and not breathing the same air as the band, something about the concert that night felt intimate. It was a combination of the music and the lights gleaming behind the band that made it feel like they were singing to each one of us. Glass Animals did an amazing job of making each person in the crowd feel a personal connection with the music, pulling us into a trance.
It was clear when the main singer Dave Bayley was singing because not only was the crowd shoving to get an inch closer to him, but also his stage presence was absolutely captivating. Half way through his set, he climbs on top of the large speaker to the left side of the stage, driving the crowd crazy.
The crowd began with a relaxed sway to the music clearly feeling good, but by the time they were in their second song playing the hit “Gooey”, the audience went crazy and was clearly captivated. This was not an audience that cared how “cool” they looked dancing, looking around you just see a group letting go and moving their bodies freely to the music.
Their set consisted of their newest album Zaba that dropped June 9th and some how sound better live than on their album. They even surprised the crowd when they snuck in their cover of Kanye West’s song, “Love Lockdown”. Of course once they finished their set, the crowd screamed for more making the band come back on stage and play an encore. Glass Animals are continuing their cross-country North American tour.