Photos and Review by Bethany Anna Packer
Galleries: Walk the Moon, Company of Thieves
Ohio bred Walk The Moon have been captivating audiences with their energetic live performances for the better part of a decade, and it was clear that their reputation preceded them as they quickly starting selling out shows after announcing their return to the stage for the 2018 Press Restart Tour.
I was lucky enough to be able to catch 2 stops of the tour, one as a photojournalist and a second as a fan with my 14 year old daughter. Being able to see the group perform in such different settings was a treat in itself. From the House of Blues Boston (around 2,250 capacity in a GA club setting) to the Mohegan Sun Arena (around 10,000 capacity seated arena) the group was able to blow the roof from both venues.
Company of Thieves, an indie rock group from Chicago opened both nights. Having never heard of the group before their performance at the House of Blues, they caught me completely by surprise and made an instant fan out of me. Singer and front woman Genevieve Schatz’ beautifully unique voice is downright infectious. And by the second night I was already singing along to contagious tunes that I had only heard once before.
The crowd was eager by the time Walk The Moon took the stage. The group came out of the gates with so much energy that the crowd at the House of Blues rushed in towards the barricade from the rear of the room, and Mohegan Sun’s patrons immediately stood from their seats. Regardless of the venue everyone in both rooms started dancing. It was difficult to tell who was having more fun throughout the performances, the fans or the band, but it was clear that everyone was having a great time.
Encouraging the audience to sing along, it is clear that lead vocalist and keyboardist Nicholas Petricca was born to be a front-man. He strutted across the stage, dancing, jumping, interacting with the crowd and his band mates while never once missing a beat. The production on this tour was absolutely stunning. Elaborate brackets of neon lights pulsed to the beat during some songs and glittering beautifully behind the group during others.
The shows setlist were nearly identical both nights and appropriately started with their tour name’s track “Press Restart” a crowd-pleaser from the get-go showcased the band’s energy, which it carried throughout the show to the very last beat.
The band continued to play a variety of songs from their three albums including “Lisa Baby” and “Next in Line” from their earliest self-titled Walk the Moon.
From their hit album Talking Is Hard they performed “Portugal”, “Avalance” their monster hit “Shut Up and Dance” which had the crowd going wild, and “Different Colors” which was back-lit by a beautiful rainbow of lights symbolizing WTM’s powerful message of equality and acceptance.
The group also sampled a number of tunes from their newest album What If Nothing including “Headphones”, the virally catchy “All I Want”, “Tiger Teeth” and the hit “One Foot” which had both venues screaming along with the lyrics.
Wrapping again with their breakout hit “Anna Sun” we were not yet for the party to be over. By the end of my second show of the tour both my daughter and I were sweating from dancing, out of breath from singing and glowing from within. Sure signs of another killer show, thank you Walk The Moon.