Last Saturday, Young The Giant returned to the Dallas area for the first time in four years to bring the American Bollywood experience to Toyota Music Factory.
While many attendees showed up before show start time, a majority of folks trickled in to the sound of Armenian artist Rosa Linn’s silky vocals. Playing a stripped back set primarily with an acoustic guitar and looper pedal, her natural virtuosity certainly impressed those in the audience (after all, she boasts 16.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify with only an EP and a handful of singles). Linn opening for a Young The Giant show was arguably an ill-fitting choice simply due to stark difference in sound and lack of danceability, but her talent is undeniable
The crowd started to warm up their dance moves to the next artist on the lineup, German alt rock band Milky Chance. Hits like “Flashed Junk Mind,” “Cocoon,” “Stolen Dance,” and “Down By The River” were peppered throughout their fourteen song setlist, with the time in between used to highlight tracks off their new album, Living In A Haze, released this past June. A deeper, moodier cover of “Tainted Love” also made the setlist, even getting some of the venue staff dancing. Overall, Milky Chance put on a solid show and primed the audience for the headlining artist.
Finally, the sun had set, the temperature cooled down, and the crowd was ready for Young The Giant. Burning incense, colorful lights, smoke machines, and artistic set design inspired by Indian mehndi all contributed to the atmosphere, making the live American Bollywood experience just as visually stimulating as it was musically stimulating. Additionally, thought-provoking videos that complement the American Bollywood storytelling of finding identity amidst chaos divided their time on stage into four acts, much like the album itself; however, hit songs off previous records made an appearance in each section. In fact, every Young The Giant studio album was represented by at least one song in the setlist. This was Young The Giant’s largest headlining show ever. As such, fans were treated with the first live performance of “Titus Was Born” as the pre-finale interlude, in place of “Firelight” which was played on the other dates of the tour.
With Sameer Gadhia’s flawless vocals and grand stage presence alongside expert musicianship by Payam Doostzadeh on bass, François Comtois on the drum kit, and Jacob Tilley and Eric Cannata on guitar, the American Bollywood live experience was an unforgettable show, but it is not without any criticism. Given the amount of clear effort, intention, and care that went into the set design and video intermissions, it’s understandable why a fully seated venue setup was applied–the concert was being treated more like a theater production rather than a concert. They seemingly wanted the fans to be immersed in the concept and storytelling of American Bollywood and felt that a standing general admission pit would detract from that; however, considering that the setlist was a mix of their discography and not a cover-to-cover performance of the touring album, perhaps they ought to have treated it like a proper rock concert. It seemed they were straddling the idea of bringing the album to life in full and putting on a traditional Young The Giant concert, which ended up making for a slightly awkward fan experience of dancing while limited to the space in front of a designated seat. Ultimately, though, this is a minor criticism. Young The Giant set out to put on an impressive show, and they certainly succeeded.
You can pick up tickets to the remaining dates of the tour stopping in Vancouver, running south along the West Coast and ending with two dates in Colorado.
