The 1975 delight a sold-out Moon crowd
MOON TWP. ‒ The 1975 picked "Paris" Saturday night, and no wonder. Pittsburgh area fans reached 130 decibels ― the threshold of pain ― screaming for it.
That happened two-thirds into a sold-out UPMC Events Center concert, when The 1975's magnetic frontman, Matthew "Matty" Healy, let audience members decide, via cheering contest, if the English pop-rock band should play "Paris" or "A Change of Heart." Both songs hail from the 2016 album "I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It," a title that forever sealed a loyal, female fan base
The largely 20-something throng at Robert Morris University's 4,000-capacity concert hall loved a night of 1975 hits and newer songs that prompted them to dance, sing, and shout certain lines and choruses, as they savored the chance to see a red-hot band hitting the peak of its powers.
The first half of the show was conceptual, explained Healy, who played the role of a confident but conflicted, cigarette-smoking, red wine-swilling man who'd end up shedding his leather jacket and eventually his gold-ish button-down shirt as he and the band sailed sequentially through their highly praised 2022 album, "Being Funny in a Foreign Language."
The regular lineup of guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald and drummer George Daniel, augmented by a saxophone player and backing vocalist, worked a two-level stage decked out like a split-level 1970s living room, with ashtrays, couches, a coffee table, lamps and flickering TVs ― the kind where you'd change the channel by hand. Healy plopped down on a wheeled wooden desk chair and demonstratively plucked a piano with his right hand, with a Camel cigarette burning in his left, for leadoff selection, titled "The 1975." Next came the spry, tastefully guitar- and organ-driven "Looking for Somebody (To Love)," which made the standing-the-whole-show crowd wiggle and bop.
The mid-tempo "Oh Caroline," with its "I wanna get it right this time/'Cause you're always on my mind" chorus highlighted Healy's pleasing voice and romanticism layered beneath his outward edginess.
It took an effort to peel one's eyes from the theatrical Healy, though the unique stage design yielded visual treats, like the upper level's Christmas tree and stockings hung from a mantle, ideal for the jaunty "Wintering" with its timely, relatable line, "I get home on the 23rd." Numerous times in the two-hour show, fans spontaneously picked the perfect times collectively to shout lyrics without prodding, in this song's case the moment Healy playfully tells his mum "Woman, you are 64 years old." Mums might have liked the Elvis-style hip-shaking Healy did at one point in that song.
The unassailable bond between band and fans was rather touching, as spectators loudly sang the "I think I'm falling, I'm falling for you" parts of "Fallingforyou."
Some songs got a light seasoning of R&B or jazz, like "Sincerity is Scary," a 2018 song slipped into the sequential playing of the new album, prefaced by Healy saying one of his biggest fears is feeling embarrassed in front of his mates, adding that to attain coveted sincerity, one must not be afraid to appear naive or soppy.
He got philosophical again in a bit of a rambling speech about the negatives of masculine toxicity. Healy theorized one issue is that young men on the political left don't have a figurative behavioral guidebook like those on the right, quickly adding he doesn't care on which side of the political fence people dwell.
After the pretty "When We Are Together," Act One ended curiously with band members flicking off the lamps and exiting the stage, leaving Healy alone there, sitting on lounge furniture puffing a cigarette, sipping from a wine bottle and taking off his shirt to rub his pants suggestively. Still in character, he strolled toward the display of televisions, did several pushups then crawled into and all the way through one of those hollowed-out TV sets.
With the conceptuality done, the band re-emerged for Act Two, the "best of" portion, donned in black and white formal wear, with Healy in an unbuttoned suit jacket, crisp shirt and dark tie. Daniel's thick drumbeats powered the crowd-pleaser, "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" followed by "TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME," with a tale of two-timing and clandestine texting that also registered knowingly with fans.
Occasionally swigging from a silver flask, Healy kept up his riveting stage presence and delivered clear vocals on the popular and poppy "It's Not Living (If It's Not With You)."
Fans held aloft signs seeking direct interaction with him. Yes, the "Slut Me Out" sign caught his eye, and the video board camera operator zoomed in on a different young woman with a "Be my first kiss" banner. Healy ultimately picked a female fan front and center for whom he climbed offstage and planted a full kiss on her lips.
They've played bigger venues before, like the 5,500-capacity Stage AE outdoors, but this UPMC Events Center show just seemed a bigger deal, selling out almost instantly, with day-of-show resale tickets fetching $330 and up.
The 1975 delivered with a fun and memorable performance.
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Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@timesonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: The 1975 delight a sold-out Moon crowd
