As I sat in section 323 of Met Life Stadium–6 rows from the very very top (closer to the clouds than the band in fact) – I got a clear view of the craziness that ensued in NJ last night at 5 Seconds of Summer / One Direction tour here in the Metro area. My first reaction was –this is what Beatlemania must have looked like!!
Not too many artists can fill a stadium of that size with that kind of enthusiasm. Few can do it and even fewer can do it that well.
The Aussie opener 5 Seconds of Summer band did their thing. Since their album dropped a few weeks ago – most fans knew all their lyrics. The crowd sang along and screeched when “She looks so Perfect” ended their almost hour set. The opening band was more than an opening act. There was a big fan base and most seats were filled before they took the stage.
In between sets- Met Life kept the crowd alive – all 60,000 +++ of them—with a lot of great tunes and built the momentum. You knew the crowd would burst at the seams the second those lights went down. And when they did – no earplugs created in the US of A could keep out the noise of those screaming teeny boppers!One Direction did not disappoint. They also do not dress up. They don’t dance. They don’t have a rehearsed set. In fact, I’m not even sure if they sang over tracks or sang live – but it doesn’t matter for those heart throbs. The girls love them. They are foolish on stage. They are silly boys with plain white t shirts, no plan and bad tattoos. But what matters is the music. The songs. The lyrics. The connection. The emotion. The great catchy hit after hit after hit. Midnight Memories, Little Black Dress, Live While We’re Young, One Thing, What Makes You Beautiful, You & I, Story of My Life, Little White Lies, 13 others – and closed with Best Song Ever. It’s was a strong 23-24 song set list. And every girl knew every song. It was hard to find any guys in the audience – except the dad’s who were there to chaperone and drive.
It was a great concert with a great stage that gave the entire floor sections a great view no matter where you sat. The fireworks through the show also added to the great overall feeling that you just experienced something spectacular!!
Ahhhhhh to be 16 again!!
B+
