The 1975 Are Better Than Ever And At The Very Best (Concert Review)

On Saturday night, the British band that has captured the hearts of millions performed in San Diego. At a sold-out show in the Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheatre, fans were waiting with excitement to see if the title of their tour, “The 1975 At Their Very Best,” would live up to it’s namesake. Once I entered the venue, I was already blown away with how long the line for merch was. The line stretched from halfway through the venue and while I did not wait in the line, some kind-hearted soul was airdropping photos of what the merch looked like to everyone waiting. Never seeing The 1975 live before, I eagerly descended down the amphitheatre to my seat.

Some shenanigans happened before the show even started. While waiting for the opener BLACKSTAR KIDS to come on, a possum was roaming around the seats in the pit area causing havoc. Luckily the security guards procured a box and were able to capture it but once that incident was resolved, the show finally began. The group came out to an enthused crowd and thanked everyone for being there. Once they greeted the crowd, they jumped right into their set.

Hearing BLACKSTARKIDS’s music at first, it sounds wildly different compared to The 1975’s music. I’ve listened to their music before and while i’m a fan of their music, I was perplexed because since their sound doesn’t seem quite fit for big venues yet and more for smaller, intimate venues. It was after the show that I found out that Matt Healy handpicked them to open up for them for the tour. Regardless, BLACKSTARKIDS’s set was so much fun to see and listen to! The group performed some of my personal favorites like “FRANKIE MUNIZ” and “SOUNDS LIKE FUN” and while their music might sound unorthodox to most of the people in attendance, it’s alot of fun to listen to and just so unique. The San Diego show was even special for them since it was one of the group’s member’s TheBabeGabe’s birthday. After their set ended, the fans were roaring for The 1975 to come on stage.

The crowd was antsy and enthusiastic for what awaited us. Their set was slated to start at 8:30 pm which is pretty early for a headliner’s set. Everyone in attendance knew we were in for a jam-packed night but with ample time for The 1975 to show us why they needed a long set. The crowd even started cheering when a huge blue curtain dropped on stage with a light projected on it that said The 1975. The time finally came and the lights dimmed down and the curtain opened up.

Once the stage was shown, it was incredible. The set made it like the crowd was invited into a home, as the stage was laid out to resemble a house. The stage had had a couch (one that Matt Healy was passed out on in the beginning), a stack of old television sets, and various doors, bookshelves, and especially lamps littered the stage. The band came on and lit up the whole stage and awoke Matt Healy who was just lying on the couch. Once he got out of his groggy state and started playing the piano, the real fun began.

During the first half of their set, The 1975 played mostly songs off the new record Being Funny In A Foreign Language with some older songs sprinkled in like “fallingforyou” and it was great. While there were some more high-tempo songs like “Looking For Somebody (To Love)” and “I’m In Love With You”, the first half was pretty mellow and introspective for the most part. Nonetheless, this was a concert with a lot to take in and unpack. Matt Healy is not only incredible as a performer but also as an entertainer.

His antics kept me entertained throughout and just astounded me. He kept smoking cigarettes during the entire show and even was taking swigs from a flask. There was a point in the show where Healy dropped to the floor and did numerous pushups in front of the stack of ten televisions. The one part unfortunately I was excited to see that I saw he did at the New York City show was just gnawing on a slab of raw meat. To finish off the first half of the concert, the whole band minus Matt, turned off the lights and some people in lab coats arrived to clean up the set. Matt Healy was the last one to depart by disappearing by crawling into one of the television sets as dramatic orchestral music was playing, leaving everyone in the audience in awe.

The whole band came back after a short break and came out in all-black suits. The house was emitted with lights once again and Matt came out to the song “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)”. The second half of the set with even Healy cockily self-proclaiming “At Their Very Best” before performing “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not Without You)“ was nothing short of magnificent. This part of the set was more high energy and just hit after hit.

With numerous fan-favorites ranging from their whole discography, such as “The Sound”, “Somebody Else”, and many more, the most memorable part of the show came when they played “Robbers”. During the song, a fan was brought on stage and got to chill on the couch. The reason why this part of the show was so iconic though was because Matt Healy sat on this man’s lap, waltzed with him, and deeply kissed him, to the chagrin of fans all across the venue, many wishing they could’ve been that man in the moment.

The 1975 ended the show with no encore which was perfectly fine since they performed for over two and a half hours. Thinking about the concert, it’s safe to say that they put on one of the best concerts i’ve been to all year. When you go to an amazing concert like this one, it sticks with you like glue and you want to feel the dopamine, the rush, and the memories of that magical experience. The 1975 really know how to put on a show and i’ll definitely come back to see them again the next time not only if they were in San Diego, but in the Southern California area.