Before the Ariana Grande concert on Friday, British alt rock band The 1975 came to the PNC Arena on Tuesday, November 19. A concert filled with lights, dancing, and songs about youth, The 1975 concert was the best concert I’ve been to in awhile. 

Before singer Matty Healy and his band came out, the concert was opened by a small, New York City garage band called Laundry Day. It was a group of young boys who were clearly excited to catch a big break, but I wouldn’t listen to their music on my own time if I was forced to. I found myself scrolling through Twitter or replying to text messages – this band did not do The 1975 any justice. Their lights and backdrop was dull, their music too poppy, and their vocal range was flat. I had to assure my mom, who came with me, that The 1975 was not like this. 

When Laundry Day eventually left the stage, it took about thirty-five to forty  minutes for the backstage crew to set up the stage for the main act. It was a lot of waiting and a lot of impatience, and I was beginning to get impatient at the venue. 

Finally, as 9:00 rolled around, the concert began. It had the most stunning visuals I have ever seen, with flashing, multi-colored strobe lights to go along with their more intense songs like “People”; soft, cool, fading light to go with their slow songs like “Me” and “Fallingforyou”, and their music videos in the background of their hits like “Love It If We Made It” and “Robbers”. Lead singer Matty Healy was interactive and excited to be there as he hopped around on stage and talked to the crowd. 

The concert isn’t for the sensitive, though. Matty Healy and his songs aren’t exactly full of clean language, and when he talked, he tended to drop some swears. Part of his brand is drinking liquors and smoking cigarettes, so he lit a few and took some swigs of whiskey during his performance. But, Healy was wonderful, acknowledging that we were there because we were fans and he expressed his gratitude in between nearly every song. 

“It blows our tiny… minds that we have people come to hear our music,” he said at one point. I kept notes on some of the things he said, for he said many things that stuck with me. It was like he was talking to us, not for us. 

They’re coming back again in April for their new album, Notes On A Conditional Form, and I’ve already started to save for my ticket. I sat in the nosebleed seats last time, which was a wonderful experience, but pit seats will change the game for sure. I recommend seeing The 1975 even if you haven’t heard a song. The visuals and vocals are enough to give you chills, and their songs cater to youth who are against the status quo. I’ll be there. Will you?