The 1975 know how to put on a show

There’s nothing quite like seeing a half-naked man crouched on stage eating raw meat in front of a bunch of TVs stacked on top of each other playing news clips from some of the most contentious recent events. That was the scene that fans of The 1975 were greeted with on Monday when they showed up to a sold-out show at the Kia Forum. 

Band members Matty Healy, Adam Hann, Ross MacDonald and George Daniel played for nearly two and a half hours, with the set list spanning from fan-favorite tracks to underrated gems. Their tour is titled “The 1975: At Their Very Best,” and after seeing the almost clinical precision with which they pulled off a very long but very clean set, it seems like a no-brainer to agree with their own bold tagline.

The energy in the Forum was unmatched, as the arena slowly filled up until it was packed with fans before the curtain dropped on The 1975.

Up-and-coming indie hip-hop-rock band Blackstarkids opened the night, which was an interesting choice, as their music did not really match The 1975’s vibe. Calling it “Disney Channel flow” — as Jake Paul does on “It’s Everyday Bro” — would probably be a bit mean, but there’s really no other way to describe it. Their music tries to draw upon nostalgia for the early 2000s, with tracks like “JIMMY NEUTRON” and “FRANKIE MUNIZ.” However, their efforts fell flat as their music ends up coming out generic and derivative. Their vibrant on-stage presence almost made up for the disappointing songs, but when the whole point of a concert is to listen to music you like, the match-up between Blackstarkids and The 1975 felt forced and nearly unfair to Blackstarkids, as it was obvious the crowd was not matching their energy.

However, as they walked off stage, the vibe in the Forum keyed up to a higher level when a bright blue curtain unfurled from the ceiling and “The 1975” was projected on it in massive letters. Time ticked by slowly until around 8:45, when the lights dimmed and the curtain dropped, revealing the band’s elaborate set. A modern house complete with two levels, a small roof and a staircase, it looked almost as if someone had cut a house in half and revealed the inside like a massive, stage-sized cake. Lamps and TVs littered the stage, and the light they emitted went on to play a big role in the set design. It was a truly stunning set to see live, as it was full of details and played perfectly into the two-part design of the show.

The first part of the show focused on their latest album, “Being Funny In a Foreign Language.” They began with the album’s first track, “The 1975,” and the second the music kicked in, the crowd went wild. They played nine out of the 11 songs on “Being Funny,” all the while Healy played up the character of the drunken singer, stumbling around the stage and nearly falling off the set at times. At first, it was tell to see if he was being truthful about his intoxicated state, as he kept taking sips from a silver flask he carried with him, and his small asides in between songs were slurred and nearly unintelligible at times. However, the passion and clarity with which he sang killed any belief in the character of the drunken fool. 

After all, you can act like a pretentious jerk all you want, but when your entire reason for being is music, you can’t help but let that shine through.

The band’s inventive set design helped create a dynamic and engaging atmosphere. For example, during “Fallingforyou” in the first half of the show, all the other lights on the stage went out, while the faux street light lit up, bathing Healy in a melancholy yellow softness that reflected the way he plaintively sang looking straight up at the light. 

For nearly half the show, Healy didn’t face the audience. He was either facing the cameras that broadcasted him to the two massive screens on either side of the stage, or he was crawling around and falling down all over the stage.

They ended the first half with the last song off “Being Funny,” “When We Are Together.” The entire Forum sang along as Healy strummed away on an acoustic guitar. It was one of those moments that fills you with the warm fuzzies, feeling everyone around you connect even if you’ve never met before and you’ll never meet again.

The band then left the stage, and before the second half of the show began, a surprise guest knocked on the house door. Everyone held their breath in anticipation, expecting Healy again, but then the whole place burst into raucous screams and applause when lo and behold, out walked Phoebe Bridgers. She played one song, a cover of “Milk,” a very early The 1975 track, before she left without even speaking to the crowd. Still, her appearance was a beautiful surprise.

The second half of the show was better than the first. Healy was more present, dropping most of the drunken act and instead adopting an equal parts endearing and irritating, passionate yet pretentious personality. Although, maybe that’s just his personality. 

He dropped in asides about liberal masculinity and Kanye West amidst mega-hits like “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You),” “Robbers” and “Somebody Else.” The crowd was swept up in ecstasy as they moved from song to song, and it felt like it would never end as the group just kept playing and playing and playing. 

However, all good things come to an end, and as the clock on stage above the fake front door neared 11 p.m., they played their last song, “Give Yourself A Try,” a perhaps pointed reminder from Healy to his fans. As someone who has tried to shove off the responsibility of role model and simply consider himself some type of postmodern (ostensibly his favorite word, like he says on “The 1975:” “We’re experiencin’ life through the postmodern lens / Oh, call it like it is”) philosopher, he still made an impact on everyone in the crowd with his enthusiasm and small moments of a genuine nature shining through.