Glass Animals

Glass Animals has been a band I adore for as long as I can remember, and seeing them live was so much more than I could have ever imagined. They were so upbeat and happy the whole time, I couldn’t stop myself from dancing a bit, which is saying a lot because I tend not to dance at shows. 

This one was at the Armory, which is the second-largest venue I have ever been to, with a max capacity of roughly 8,000 people. The general floor was very crowded, and I was having a hard time seeing anything when the opener was starting up. However, I luckily went with my mom who convinced one of the security guards to let me stand in the 21+ bar area with her, which ended up giving me a completely unobstructed view of the performance.

The light show was so amazing at this show and followed the beat the whole time. Due to the more high-demand nature of the venue, they had the funding to do actual stage props and setups. It was a sort of dreamcore and vaporwave-y, and it was so fantastic. While we were waiting for them to start after the show, there was a computer downloading pop-up on the big screen that backed the stage. They really committed to the aesthetic, and Glass Animals absolutely nailed what they were going for. The stage was whimsical and dreamy and almost felt like something you would conjure up whilst staring out a window, daydreaming.

The performance was outstanding. The lead singer was dancing around the stage. He was just so bouncy and fun, you could tell he was enjoying performing just as much as we, as an audience, enjoyed watching. They sort of have a general pop vibe, but their albums tend to have fairly different, but still recognizable sounds to them.

Some of my favorite songs from them are ‘The Other Side of Paradise,’ ‘Life Itself,’ ‘Season 2 Episode 3’ (all three from the album How to Be a Human Being, 2016), ‘Waterfalls Coming out your Mouth,’ and ‘Helium’ (both from the album Dreamland, 2020). They played all of my favorite songs and loved the audience’s applause. They sounded nearly identical to their studio recordings as well, which was very impressive to me.

The merch was incredible. The hoodies were good quality, and they had a wide variety of merch ranging from shirts to posters that you could purchase. The merch crew was kind and patient with indecisive people like me, too. They also had a surplus of plus-size inclusive merch, which was incredibly gratifying to me as someone who loves their music so much.

Overall, this was a fantastic performance and experience, and I will recommend their music to people until the day I die. They are so peppy and upbeat, and all of their music has a rhythm that you can tap your foot to. I love them.