Seeing Hippo Campus Live Is Anything But A Bad Dream Baby
I remember hearing about Hippo Campus back in college and I fell in love with their music immediately. The first time I ever saw them was at the Wonderfront Festival in San Diego back in 2019. I can vividly recall the time I was in front of the rail just watching them perform. They were incredible live and I remember just binging their discography the next day after.
Imagine forming a band when you’re in middle school and get to tour the country. Well that’s what Hippo Campus is doing and I am seething, albeit they 100% make much better music than my friends and I ever could. The band formally released music starting in 2015 and each album from Landmark to Bambi to their latest record, LP3, have shown the progression of their sound and what makes them so good. I think a reason why their fans find them so endearing is because not only are they so talented but that they have so much chemistry when they play on stage since it’s literally just friends playing together.
The show was unsurprisingly a sold out show and I was barely able to make it inside the venue to see the opener, Ginger Root. The trio came onto the stage and even had their own backdrop. Their aesthetic had a vintage feel from their wardrobe and even from the tone of their music. Usually, I noticed crowds talk alot during an opener’s set but I was impressed with Ginger Root with how they were able to captivate the crowd. Highlights were them going on a rant of roleplaying as a taxi driver and eating a leftover burrito after a hard day’s work and them doing a cover of Neon Genesis Evangelion’s theme song (Here’s a live recording of a part of it).
After waiting for thirty minutes once Ginger Root finished up, Hippo Campus finally arrived on stage. The layout for their set made some parts of the stage look 3D and provided a unique look. The lead singer Jake even had some futuristic sunglasses on when they opened with “2 Young 2 Die”. The band’s setlist was fantastic with them playing songs from each album and EP they’ve made starting from LP3 to one of their early EP’s South. Standout songs from the set were “Bad Dream Baby”, “Way It Goes”, and “Bambi”. Their energy was immaculate and they did a great job blending their hits with their newer stuffs. The crowd was hyped the whole time and it’s safe to say that myself and the rest of their fans left satisfied.
The band easily hurdled my expectations and provided one of the best shows i’ve seen this year. Overall, the energy was like one of those local band shows would go to in high school except if the bands were actually amazing. That night, Hippo Campus reminded me why they’re one of my favorite bands and if you’re reading this still, please go see them. You won’t regret it. I’ll buy your ticket myself if I have to.