After 2-year wait, 5 Seconds of Summer delivers at sold-out TCU Amphitheater

Corrections and clarifications: An earlier version of this story misstated the release date of 5 Seconds of Summer's upcoming album.

INDIANAPOLIS — Despite on and off rain showers, concertgoers packed the TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park Friday night for 5 Seconds of Summer’s Indianapolis stop on the North American leg of their "Take My Hand Tour."

People had waited for the show for nearly two years after the band postponed the tour twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic — a fact guitarist Michael Clifford mentioned with astonishment.

“You bought tickets to this — probably most of you — a few years ago,” he said. “And you actually showed up. We (expletive) love you. Thank you.”

Regardless of how long it's been since the 4-piece Australian band played Indianapolis, the  TCU Amphitheater was full of adoring fans who welcomed them with deafening screams.

The night began relatively early, as lines at TCU were so long that fans were still filing into the amphitheater and trickling into the pit throughout the duration of Chicago-based alternative rock band Post Animal’s 40-minute opening act — more than two hours after gates originally opened.

Although Post Animal played a decent and vibey set, it wasn’t until 5 Seconds of Summer — composed of Luke Hemmings, Calum Hood, Michael Clifford and Ashton Irwin — took the stage at 8:49 p.m. that the amphitheater came alive.

Scores of cellphones in the venue were up and recording as the band opened with “No Shame” before transitioning into “Easier” and then “More": the last of which sent fans into a frenzy as the high point of the song — Irwin’s ending drum solo — played out in an increased fervor against the hazy red backdrop, flashing white lights and smoke-filled stage.

“The harder you go, the harder I go,” Irwin said later in the night, addressing the fans in the pit.

A few songs later came “Disconnected,” a song off the band’s first, self-titled EP. It seemed to elicit a sense of nostalgia in fans.

Like many Hoosiers, I hadn’t seen this band live in several years, and it was comforting to be in a space full of people who grew up with the band, as I did. The members of 5 Seconds of Summer have been together for more than 10 years, bassist Hood said later on in the night. He thanked everyone in attendance for sticking with them that long.

As a result, older songs such as “Beside You,” “Amnesia” and “She Looks So Perfect” received an overwhelming reaction, as energetic fans were all too willing to sing along.

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However, the crowd's response to “Amnesia” was so visceral that at one point it became difficult to hear Hood sing over the crowd that was singing along with him. I definitely spotted a few misty eyes in the crowd.

“Did you miss us? We missed you too,” Hemmings said after performing “Waste the Night.”

“Can we call you Indy?” he asked a moment later. “Are we at that stage yet?”

He received an overwhelming, mostly incoherent cheer.

Throughout the rest of the set, each of the band members played off each other’s energy, interacting with the crowd and enjoying their time on stage. Fueled by the momentum concertgoers had offered since the beginning of the night, Clifford encouraged audience members to just enjoy their lives and time there as well.

And yet, despite their onstage chemistry, no one in the band appeared as though they’d dressed for the same event, sporting outfits from random and opposite ends of the spectrum — a staple that is typical of 5SOS.

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The group launched into the second half of the first set with “Easy For You To Say,” an unreleased song off of the band’s upcoming album 5SOS5, which Hood said was set to release Sept. 23 of this year.

Also from the upcoming album, “Me, Myself, and I,” “Blender,” “Complete Mess” and “Take My Hand” scored prime spots on the setlist and elicited positive reactions from fans who appeared to know the words to most already.

It almost felt like the band was rushing through songs, as if they had somewhere else to be afterward. However, with a nearly 30-song setlist (26 by my count), cutting out parts of a few songs is likely warranted.

“Thanks for having 5SOS back, we missed you dearly,” Irwin said. “I hope we’re playing all your favorite songs.”

Each song was accompanied by an array of bright lights and an expertly designed digital backdrop that included clips from some of the band’s music videos. Each song appeared to lean into a particular color scheme that, paired with a foggy stage, created a multisensory experience.

The best example of this was during “Teeth,” a song that was darker than the rest of the setlist. The stage was awash in red, black and white glittering lights.

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On the other hand, “Jet Black Heart” could easily stand on its own without flashing lights or fancy staging at all, really. With just Clifford, his guitar and approximately 6,000 Hoosiers to sing alongside him, the first verse and chorus of the song felt like an intimate shared moment before the rest of the band joined in.

A roughly 5-minute intermission filled with nonstop screaming, 5 Seconds of Summer returned to the stage to play “Ghost of You” and “Youngblood.”

“Get home safe.” Hemmings said before closing the show with “Youngblood.” “We love you Indy."

Contact IndyStar reporter Chloe McGowan at CWilkersonMcGowan@gannett.com. Follow her Twitter: @chloe_mcgowanxx.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 5 Seconds of Summer plays fast-paced, sold-out show in Indianapolis