Live Review: Bastille Goes Full Apocalyptic
by Yi-Wen Wong
Photo courtesy of Yi-Wen Wong
On September 17, Bastille arrived at the Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion in Boston for the second stop of their Doom Days North American tour. Having released their album earlier this year in June—their first new music since 2016—fans were treated to the hits from their new album as well as older fan-favorites.
The show began with the opening artist Joywave, an indie rock band from Rochester, New York. Entertaining the audience with funky, alternative vibes, the band jested with the crowd leaving them both impressed and excited for the rest of the show. Treating the Boston crowd to a few unreleased songs, Joywave certainly made an impact on the crowd and no doubt gained more than a couple more fans.
Bastille came out with a bang, the other band members walking in and setting up their instruments before leading vocalist Dan led off with “Quarter Past Midnight.” Fans rushed to the front of the stage, eager to sing and dance along to every song.
Starting off sitting down on a couch, it wasn’t long before Dan was running and jumping around the stage. So full of passion and energy, it was hard for the crowd not to dance along and be entranced by the show. Although the latest album was inspired by serious issues like social media addiction post-Brexit shock, Bastille’s songs always have a way of getting people moving, describing their new album as a ‘post-apocalyptic party record.’
Throughout the set, Dan and the rest of the band made sure to interact with the crowd on a personal level, apologizing to the exuberant crowd when they were about to play more moody, darker songs. Dan even ran out and sang with the crowd to the excitement of all the fans in the back. The tempo of the entire set was extremely well thought through, starting with more upbeat songs like the EDM hit “Happier” and transitioning well into slower, sadder songs like “World Gone Mad.” Hypnotized by every song, the crowd jumped around during tracks like “Joy,” and sang with passion at the top of their lungs during the more mellow points.
Choosing to stay on for an extended set rather than leave and come back for a short encore, the band gifted the Boston crowd with older classics like their breakthrough hit “Pompeii” and “Laura Palmer,” getting the whole amphitheater to sing along. Bastille kept the crowd’s attention for the entire set, all the way from the people in the front to the ones standing in the back. As the band inches closer to their 10th birthday, they certainly haven’t lost any steam in producing spectacular music and professional live performances.
Despite not knowing all the songs, I was on my feet grooving the entire time. Bastille’s music has a sensitive quality to it that seems to resonate with people of all ages, something that I think is rare in today’s age. I am definitely looking forward to seeing what they come up with for their next album.