THE NEIGBOURHOOD: WIPED OUT TOUR AT THE HOUSE OF BLUES

Annalysa Vasquez | Contributor | USDRadio |

October 28th, 2015

Hundreds of fans lined the sidewalk of the House of Blues on 5th Avenue in downtown San Diego on Wednesday night, October 28 as they anxiously waited for the venue doors to open. People from almost every walk of life came together to  see the passionate, versatile, talented, and artistic band.

Waiting in line was an interesting experience, one that I will never forget. A father and daughter stood in front of me wearing matching Neighbourhood t-shirts, her excitement was hard to miss and her dad looked so happy to see her this way, as it was her very first concert! A couple in their mid-fifties stood hand in hand behind me, talking about their love of live music (it was adorable!). There were different styles of people from hipsters to punk to preppy, and it was great to see all those different kinds of people come together to experience The Neighbourhood’s music.

Hunny was the first band to open and honestly I did not really get a good listen to their music. Only a few people were inside so the sound was too loud to even hear anything, which was disappointing since I love listening to new bands. After Hunny got off stage another band came on called The Bad Suns. They sounded like a cross between The Neighbourhood and Wolf Alice.

After Bad Suns finished their set, the crowd waited, what seemed like forever, 45 minutes for the Neighbourhood to come out. Then, all of the lights went out as strobe lights began flashing from every direction. Smoke filled the atmosphere and each member from The Neighbourhood stormed the stage, the crowd erupting with excitement. The first chords of the opening song, “Let It Go,” blared from the speakers as lead singer Jesse Rutherford strutted across the stage in a loose black t-shirt and very high-waisted black jeans.

With a captivated crowd singing along to every word, The Neighbourhood, fed off the energy of the packed House of Blues. They played a mix of songs from every album they have put out since 2012 along with songs from their hip-hop influenced mix-tape. They played songs off their new album Wiped Out, including “Cry Baby,” “Prey,” and “The Beach.” “The Beach” was one of the best songs off their album and sounded even better live. The band took a break in the middle of their set, but frontman Jesse stayed out to perform songs from their mixtape like “Lurk”, “Dangerous,” and “I Can’t Even.”

One of the best moments of the night was when The Neighbourhood performed “Afraid.” The whole crowd sang along so loud that you couldn’t hear Jesse Rutherford sing. When the lyrics “you’re to mean, I don’t like you, eff you anyway” came on everyone stuck both their middle fingers up in the air and screamed the lyrics. It was so powerful and exciting, and you could see the big smile on the band members faces when the crowd sang along.

The concert ended with the band’s most popular songs, their classic single “Sweater Weather” and newest song “R.I.P 2 My Youth.” Performing “R.I.P” was the best way to end the night. The song has a dark and edgy sound, and when sung on stage with black lights, the room took on a black and white, moody aesthetic, which sums up The Neighbourhood perfectly.