Concert Review: Passion Pit @ Stage AE, 11/6
By Rachel Mauer
For those of you who don’t know, Passion Pit is an electro-pop band from Massachusetts. After a 3 year break after their first album, Manners, Passion Pit released their new album, Gossamer, this past July. Their single, “Take A Walk”, quickly made its way onto Top 40 charts. Passion Pit is comparable to bands such as fun. or Phoenix but they really have a sound that is all their own and quite a refreshing change to what we normally hear on Top 40 stations.
On November 6th, thousands of high school and college school students flocked to Stage AE to see Passion Pit perform. Starting at 3 pm, a crowd lined up outside of Stage AE in the frigid Pittsburgh weather. When the doors opened at 7, people excitedly rushed into the warm venue, nearly selling out the show.
Hollerado, a Canadian indie rock band, took the stage as the opening act. The lead singer, equipped with a Nicki Minaj tee and rebellious attitude, helped get the crowd a-going with a very jam band feel. After several delightful power pop songs, the second opener, Youngblood Hawke, took the stage.
Youngblood Hawke is another indie rock band that had a great stage presence. Not only did they keep the crowd enthused but they also amped up the energy as a fitting transition between Hollerado and Passion Pit. Once Youngblood Hawke left the stage, the crowd has an agonizing half hour wait for Passion Pit. They filled their time pressing closer to the stage and starting many “Passion Pit!” chants.
Passion Pit energetically took the stage starting off with their single, “Take A Walk”. The crowd pumped their arms and shouted back the lyrics in unison with Passion Pit’s lead singer, Michael Angelakos. The band followed up with “The Reeling” off of their first album, Manners. Passion Pit continued to alternate between songs from their new album and songs from their first, keeping their fans groovin’ and on their toes.
Passion Pit’s performance was a great one especially when compared with the band’s show earlier this year at CMU. Though they did well then, the outdoor venue and rain did nothing to help with Passion Pit’s sound. This time, Stage AE provided great acoustics that complemented Passion Pit’s shimmery synth-pop which made the show so much more enjoyable. Overall, Passion Pit had a superb performance with an equally superb crowd.
