REVIEW: Greek crowd carries 5 Seconds of Summer

Australian pop boy band 5 Seconds of Summer capped off the North American leg of its “Meet You There” tour with a sold-out crowd at the Greek Theatre on Friday night. After a three-year hiatus until the recent release of its latest album “Youngblood,” 5SOS is now back on the road.

Indie pop band The Aces opened the evening with live renditions of their groovy synth hits. While audience members were not familiar with their music, the all-girl band was able to get the crowd on their feet for the entire set on Friday.

As the rain became heavier, fans began to huddle under the bleachers. However, when the lights dimmed, they ran back to their seats for the first notes of 5SOS’ hit track “Babylon.”

The pop rock group was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd, but interruptions from rain and loud cheers made the song unrecognizable until the chorus.

Eighties rock-influenced “Talk Fast” was the second song of the night. Like its title, the song was fast-paced and had the crowd dancing in unison. Next was “Moving Along,” a slower song about just getting by after ending a relationship. The crowd brought the same energy to the two stylistically different songs.

“She’s Kinda Hot,” the lead single of 5SOS’ second album, was out of place on the setlist due to its more aggressive punk sound — a diversion from its newer pop songs. While the crowd still brought plenty of energy, the two songs felt mismatched played back-to-back.

This awkward transition was soon forgotten when 5SOS performed “Waste the Night.” From its newest album “Youngblood,” “More” and “Better Man” maintained the enthusiastic cheers that filled the venue, while disco-influenced “If Walls Could Talk” had the crowd dancing once again.

The band then wheeled out a piano, foreshadowing the slower songs to come. They remarked that “Ghost of You,” a song about slowly finding out that a lover has left for good, sounded even more melancholy in the rain. The set concluded with “Want You Back,” the first single off “Youngblood.”

The encore consisted of two songs, the band’s first and most recent singles. “She Looks So Perfect,” released in 2014, paid homage to 5SOS’ humble roots, while latest single “Youngblood” was representative of the group’s new pop sound.

The crowd carried much of the show Friday night. The band repeatedly thanked fans for not forgetting about them after three years, but not much else was said between songs. Even when the crowd lost its energy, it took a couple of songs to get them engaged once again.

5SOS delivered a good performance at the Greek Theatre, but it was the crowd’s devotion that kept the night from falling flat.