Concert Reviews

The 1975 at Scotiabank Arena

Photo taken in Toronto by Jordan Curtis Hughes

Tonight The 1975 threw a house party and Toronto was invited. On tour for their fifth album, 2022’s Being Funny in A Foreign Language, the band played to an overjoyed crowd at Scotiabank Arena. Unlike previous tours, the stage served as a living part of the show. Gone are the days of three neon rectangles descending from the ceiling to serve as the band’s only backdrop with an entire living room scene built on tonight’s stage, complete with a Christmas tree, hung stockings, and twinkle lights wrapping around the edges of big set pieces.

From the start, you feel as if you arrived early to someone’s Christmas party. Guitarist Adam Hann first enters the stage turning on lamps and lights as the rest of the band walks on to the opening of Being Funny’s first song “The 1975”, ramping up until lead singer Matty Healy emerged in a slick 50’s greaser style updo, accompanied by the expected bottle of wine and cigarettes. The energy continues to build as Healy went from moonwalking, playing guitar, to commanding the entire stage while performing hits of Being Funny including, “Happiness”, “I’m In Love with You”, and newest single “Oh Caroline” with dreamy pink lights washing over the stage and crowd. When playing the first single off the album “Part of The Band” the television sets on stage lit up to show black and white footage from news outlets and movies spliced together until suddenly shifting into Matty’s performance being played back to him.

You wouldn’t know Being Funny came out only two months ago as the crowd sang every word as if it were the same songs we’ve come to love from the band since 2013. Healy takes multiple pauses between these new songs to thank everyone for being so excited for their new music, especially since their last album Notes on A Conditional Form was released in 2020 and never saw a tour. This was evident when the new ballad “About You” was played stripped down with singer Carley Holt, also wife of guitarist Adam Hann, accompanied by all of Scotiabank Arena for backing vocals.

This stripped down, slower vibe continued as we were treated to the song “Fallingforyou”, a rarity to hear live, from the 2013 EP IV. It started to feel as if the party was coming to an end. Healy became melancholy and reflecting on the taxing nature of being on tour but how grateful he is to be with his best friends, and how some of the songs initially written about relationships and romantic love have now changed into serenading his bandmates because they’re always there for him. Soon a musical interlude began and each member of the stage, minus Healy, began to walk off with bassist Ross Matthews walking around the stage turning off all the party lights leaving Matty alone under a simple blue spotlight. Members of the crew dressed in white coats came on the stage taking set pieces off while Healy performed a rendition of Mud’s “Lonely This Christmas”. The sound of crickets and outside noises fill the stage and Suddenly a stack of TVs light up, enticing Healy to come closer and closer with another mix of clips from President Biden to Star Wars, until he crawls right through the screen of one. The party was over.

Suddenly, we see an electrical pole at the side of the stage and a spotlight. Guitarist Adam Hann appears and climbs a few pegs to flip a switch, lighting the stage once again. The band re-emerges in matching suits, and we all realize that while the house party is over, a new one is starting. Now we’re at a The 1975 show. Reinvigorated, Healy descends upon the stage and right into pop anthem, “If You’re Too Shy Let Me Know” from Notes. It’s a complete 180°, everything is brighter, even more exciting, and you can tell both band and audience are having the time of their lives. We’re officially welcomed to, “The 1975 at their very best”, and it’s revealed Toronto is the largest show of the entire tour, and decidedly the best according to Healy, “[bigger means] you’re the best – bigger is best, isn’t it”. After hearing this the crowd were determined to prove him right and you could feel the energy of the entire area shift. If they wanted the biggest show, they were getting the biggest crowd.

A major dance party began with the infectious beats of songs “TOOTIME”, “It’s Not Living If It’s Not With You”, and crowd-voted synth pop tune “Paris” from the band’s earlier albums. A fan’s friends on FaceTime even got their own serenade during “Paris” as they managed to get their phone over the barricade to Healy. Banter was exchanged back and forth from the crowd in anticipation of the beloved song “Robbers” from the band’s self-titled debut album as it has become a tour tradition that someone is plucked from the crowd to kiss Matty. Not wanting to “ruin the mystique” anymore, it was decided that there would be no kiss in Toronto tonight but that didn’t dampen the mood. Instead, we were treated to “Somebody Else” and “Chocolate”, the song that launched the band’s career back in 2013, per the request of bassist Ross Macdonald.

Even with the show winding down you wouldn’t have known it. Healy and the rest of The 1975 command the stage and with that we are all sucked into this bubble of music, dancing, and iconic saxophone solos from John Waugh. After a touching acoustic rendition of the darker song “I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)”, the tension was cut when a fan-made shirt was thrown onto the stage of the band under the Maroon 5 logo. Healy then led everyone into a short sing-along to Maroon 5’s “Payphone” and made sure to announce that the band will be back next year. “It’s in the books, don’t you worry,” Healy winked before launching into their final three songs – “The Sound”, “Sex”, and “Give Yourself A Try”.

It’s safe to say that if this is what The 1975 are like at their very best, then the next time they’re here will be nothing short of extraordinary.

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Be sure to check out Live Nation Ontario to see all of the other great acts that they will be bringing to Toronto this year.

About author

Maddie is a writer at LiL. She likes horror movies, cats, and dressing in black. Connect with her on Twitter @maddieeverson Instagram @maddieeverson.