Concert Review: The Neighbourhood
credit: Drew Reynolds, Rolling Stone
By: Juan Barragan
The Neighbourhood and Lovelife
House of Blues San Diego
October 28, 2013
The day had finally come for the Neighbourhood to take the stage at the House of Blues in San Diego. The show was sold out months in advance, meaning that the lucky people who were standing in line waiting to get into the venue would be in for a very special treat. Lovelife took the stage first to an already packed venue to prepare the crowd for the headlining act that would come after them.
The energy that Lovelife got from the crowd as soon as they started playing was very powerful. The band opened with “Midnight Swimming,” a song from their Stateless EP. Some of the audience members recognized the song immediately and began to sing along. Halfway through their set, the band played “Invisible,” from their The Fourth Floor EP. Lovelife was clearly gaining new fans with every song they played, as the crowd clapped and cheered in larger numbers as the set continued. The band finished off their set with “Dying to Start Again.” This song was very upbeat and featured a catchy keyboard riff that would leave the crowd wanting more music by this band. Lovelife’s set was up, however, and The Neighbourhood would take the stage next.
The Neighbourhood started off with their song, “Let It Go,” from their debut album, I Love You. The crowd’s reaction was instantaneous and potent; the cheers from the crowd could have been heard by the tenants in the building across the street. The band played “West Coast,” a song the band released earlier this year but that has not been part of an album or EP. This was not a problem for the fans in the crowd; they sang along to every lyric of this song, even the last couple of lines that say, “I’m so West Coast, it’s a Goddamn shame.” Eventually, the band played their most famous song; the song that catapulted the band’s popularity to new heights thanks to it being played on the radio all over the country. The song was “Sweater Weather,” and the energy that the crowd gave the band during this song was unexplainable. The volume of the people singing along was so high it had the potential to cause ear damage, but that was a sacrifice that the audience was willing to make, as they sang along in unison with the band, “Cause it’s too cold for you here, and now, let me hold both your hand in the holes of my sweater.” The band finished off their set with “Afraid,” and the crowd had one last opportunity to sing along with the band. They did, and the audience seemed extremely satisfied with the show they had just witnessed.
The Neighbourhood is currently on tour across the nation in support of their debut album. They will also be going to the United Kingdom early next year to play some shows, for anyone who is studying abroad in that part of the world during intersession.