5 Seconds Of Summer is a band I could talk about for hours on end; my friends can verify that. I saw them for the first time in 2016 and had begged to see them every tour they went on after that. Yet, it wasn’t until after COVID hit that I was able to see them again, when they returned to the concert scene with their ‘Take My Hand Tour’. I bought a ticket to their Boston show, at the Leader Bank Pavilion, a stunning venue seated right on the harbor with a stunning ocean view.

Now, this was the closest my seats had ever been for a concert of theirs. I’d had adrenaline all day long, my poor heart felt like it had been working overtime for many hours, and it seemed to only accelerate as I saw my view. It wasn’t a front row seat, but that didn't matter as, the last time I saw them, I was in the seats right before the lawn. 

Pale Waves were their opener, and I was almost just as excited to see them as I was for 5SOS. I’d been listening to them since I purchased my ticket to the show, and their music was right up my alley. The punk rock yet soft sound they brought to their music was something they replicated beautifully in their live performance. I was so caught up in their performance, I didn’t even take my camera out!

If there’s one thing I know about 5SOS, it’s that they know how to put on a good performance and play a rocking live show. Thinking about their intro still sends chills down my spine, as I remember the lights going off and the way the lights joined in the center of the stage to create the infamous ‘cone’, where the members of the band, Calum, Luke, Michael, and Ashton, seemed to appear out of thin air.

From the very moment they started, with their single from the ‘CALM’ era, ‘No Shame’, to the very end, where they brought it to a close with ‘Youngblood’, their chart-topping single that everyone and their mother knows, the crowd was roaring loud. Sometimes, I think my ears are still ringing from this very show. 

This show left me feeling like I had run 100 miles non-stop and that’s how I know I went to a good show. My whole body ached for several days following, my throat included from screaming every word, and also ruining my own videos I took along with anyone else’s around me (sorry!). I have always admired artists that seem to put their whole being into every performance, no matter how small or how many times they’ve played the songs, and 5SOS are a band that carries this energy into every performance. I’ve seen them a number of times, and I tell everyone I know, or anyone that will listen to me, how much of a ‘must’ it is to see them live.