GLASS ANIMALS AT THE MANN SKYLINE STAGE IN PHILADELPHIA
Glass Animals brought the heat to a rainy, chilly evening in Philadelphia on Tuesday, September 28th with support from BLACKSTARKIDS. The evening started with a passing thunderstorm that had fans waiting anxiously under The Mann Center pavilion before they were allowed to get up to the Skyline Stage at the top of the hill. The storm quickly passed but later on, while thanking the crowd for coming out in the rain, Glass Animals frontman Dave Bayley said they were giving the crowd the "British festival experience".
BLACKSTARKIDS got the crowd going immediately - the front row seemed to be especially supportive and lively which is always great to see for an opening act. There were some sound issues that caused the crowd at one point to chant for them to “turn it up”, but they got through the technical difficulties and put on a great performance.
When Glass Animals took the stage, the vibes were unmatched. Their set design was breathtakingly gorgeous as the stage was transformed to another world by the neon lights, basketball hoop, diving board, swimming pool ladder, and palm trees. Fittingly for it being the “Dreamland Tour”, they came out to the song “Dreamland”, the opening track of their 2020 album by the same name. Something about the song always makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, and with this being the first show I've photographed since the pandemic it was almost an overwhelming feeling of joy to be hearing it live from a photo pit.
A lot of songs from the Dreamland album were played, but there was still plenty of variety with songs much older and even one newer. Their new single "I Don't Wanna Talk (I Just Wanna Dance)" is so much fun and felt perfect for a live-show environment. The show also included the live debut of "Waterfalls Coming Out Your Mouth", which I hope they keep on setlists to come because it's one of my favorites from Dreamland. They handed a pineapple out before the fun singalong staple that is "Pork Soda" (”pineapples are in my head/got nobody ‘cause I’m brain dead”), then ended with a two-song encore of "Tokyo Drifting" and "Heat Waves".
I may be biased as a big fan, but Glass Animals' live show is something I think everyone should go see. They’re currently on tour with dates spanning all the way through next spring!