5 Seconds of Summer Electrify Antwerp on the European Opening Night of EVERYONE’S A STAR! Tour
REVIEW
REVIEW
☆ BY IVONA HOMICIANU ☆
WHILE 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER HAVE LEANED MORE INTO A POP-ROCK SOUND WITH THIS LAST RECORD, THE ENERGY ON THEIR EUROPEAN OPENING NIGHT CAN BE QUALIFIED AS ELECTRIC — From the beginning, there is a spark in the atmosphere as the lights dim and the EVERYONE’S A STAR! logo appears on the screen. That energy is accelerated throughout the evening, with their show reaching the grandiose outcome that surrounds the concept behind the era.
5 Seconds of Summer, abbreviated to 5SOS, is a four-piece Australian band that was founded in 2011 with Luke Hemmings on lead vocals and guitar, Michael Clifford on lead guitar, Calum Hood on bass, and Ashton Irwin on drums. Their career of fifteen years shows through a stage presence that feels grounded in confidence and trust, both within the band and the audience.
EVERYONE’S A STAR! is their sixth studio album and has an intriguing take on the fame that is often the subject of a record for artists that have been around for a while. The show itself is built around the concept of the album, with the performance being structured into different acts. The inspiration is documentaries that explore the downfall of some of the biggest bands. 5SOS recorded videos of their conceptual story and played them on the screen between each act to contextualise the narrative they were sharing.
The creativity of the show stands out the most—that begins with the stage design which sports a limousine, a symbol of wealth and success, along with a round stage that is reminiscent of a plane going around the world. The show starts with Act I, The Peak, where they introduce themselves as the biggest band in the world. It’s a hyperbole, but the videos of fans taken across the world showcase their wide reach and their massive success. After the pre-recorded video, there’s a live recording of them backstage in a limousine as they begin to perform their single “NOT OK.
The band didn’t only count on the hype of the audience seeing them appear on stage, as the instrumental arrangements and the lighting design built a momentum that energized the crowd all at once. The performance of “NOT OK” culminated in the guitar and drums instrumentals as star-shaped confetti decorated the stage for the first time that night. Without wasting a beat, they moved onto “No. 1 Obsession” and “Teeth.” At the same time as Hemmings’ vocals shone along with Irwin’s unmissable drums, they were framed by the visuals and flashing lights which joined in with the fast rhythm.
This first act was focused on the most dynamic tracks of their discography, which set the tone for the rest of the performance. Throughout the show, the audience sang at the top of their lungs and danced—even the seated section was standing up the whole time. 5SOS has one of the most dedicated fanbases, with a lot of people who have been following since their start still attending their concerts nowadays. Witnessing the impact of this band showed that the concept era is rooted in reality and made the moment feel more vivid.
Act II is titled The Fall, where they showed the imagined journey of downfall for the band. They went right away into “Easier,” a track off their 2020 album, CALM. “istillfeelthesame” off their latest album was one of the strongest performances of the night. They reinforced the rock production of the recording as the fast tempo went even faster. Each of their individual skills shined even more here, with Hemmings’ delivering an impeccable vocal performance alongside Clifford, whose vocals fit the punk-rock genre incredibly. Irwin’s drums are a lighthouse for each performance, but they are even more remarkable during this one.
They ended the second act with “No Shame,” another hit off CALM. Following this walk down memory lane, they had a powerpoint break titled “A 5SOS How To: Have The Best Rock Show.” During this break, they presented their crowd engagement proposal in a humorous way. Behind this was their clearly vocalized desire for this to be the “biggest, most ambitious, most… best show of all time” as Clifford put it. They remarked how their older songs receive more noise from the crowd compared to their newer songs. Testing their theory, they sang “She’s Kinda Hot” from one of their first albums, then followed it by “Boyband,” “Telephone Busy,” and “EVOLVE” off EVERYONE’S A STAR!.
This reinforcement of their relationship with their listeners is a core component of the show. There are several moments where the fans have a direct part in the concert, with one of them being the presentation of the “Best Boyband” award right before “Boyband.” The designated fan takes the stage and gives the award statue to them while getting to hug the four members. During the performance, a made-up fight between Hood and Clifford unfolds on stage.
For the next single, “Telephone Busy,” the stage design becomes the highlight as Irwin’s drums appear at the front of the circular stage. Up until this point, they were at the back where the limousine is placed. His vocals also take the front center stage as he sings both on “Telephone Busy” and “Evolve.” Before the chorus, he hypes up the crowd in a way that brings the energy up several notches. Irwin shows that he doesn’t just give the rhythm of the music through his drum playing, but also through his stage presence that makes people want to move.
Act III was The Yearning and focused on the sadder songs. This part contained “Bad Omens,” a song off their 2022 record 5SOS5, “Ghost of You” which is one of their earlier fan favorites, and “I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again” off their newest album. Despite the years between these tracks, the setlist flows well between each era, which shows the timelessness of their discography. They have a cohesive signature sound that follows them throughout their career, yet the maturity and evolution in their music is apparent when you put one next to the other.
Although this is undoubtedly a rock show, there are moments that are quieter and more intimate. “Ghost of You” holds magic in the rendition as the stage is lit up by 20,000 lights from the audience. The confetti that flew during the previous song decorated the stage, which made it feel like the morning after a party. The band has a deep understanding of what took them to where they are now, and even though they’re now playing arenas, the connection to their fanbase is still palpable in the proximity they hold to those who support them.
In Act IV, The Breakup, they show a pre-recorded video of themselves finding out they broke up on television. During this act, each of the four members sings one song from their respective solo projects. There is a narrative that points at reality with their reactions, how they didn’t want to break up, but external factors made that decision for them. An understanding dawns in when it comes to the fans being highlighted as a primordial part in their journey—without the fans, they make it clear that they wouldn’t have existed for as long as they did.
During Act V, The Rise, they play an acoustic rendition of “Amnesia,” another favorite from their earlier projects. With them sitting close to each other on stage and the phone flashlights swaying the crowd, there’s an intimate atmosphere that is created and that shows a deep care to the connection they have to their listeners. This is once again proven by the “surprise song” bit, where the crowd gets to decide which song they should play by scanning a code before the show. The one that gets the most votes is revealed by a fan holding a suitcase, which is opened to then reveal the crowd’s choice—this time, it was the deep cut off their Don’t Stop (B-Sides).
As the introduction video mockumentary to Act VI, The Beginning, appears on screen, the band reveals that “We had to learn how to connect with fans again, we had to learn how to be 5SOS again.” Although this is part of the concept, the truth lands at the base of what EVERYONE’S A STAR! means. By shifting the focus onto the audience, they show a gratefulness and humility that is rare to witness. They prioritze the songs that gave them their popularity in the beginning, with performances of “English Love Affair,” “Jet Black Heart” and “She Looks So Perfect” taking the front center stage.
What stands out when it comes to this specific tour and era is that although it surrounds a concept of the rise and demise of their band, it is undeniably genuine in the portrayal of stardom and their dynamic to their audience. Their authenticity shines through as they come for the encore, where they perform the title track “Everyone’s a Star!” while walking through the crowd and familiarizing themselves with the different faces. Ending on a high note, they perform their biggest and most popular single, “Youngblood,” in a fury of energy and bliss radiating from the ones in attendance. As confetti flew through the venue for the last time, the memory of the evening becomes permanent in a blur of people who witnessed the best boyband in action.
