Colouring:

 Colouring was the opening act for the LANY headlining tour at Stage AE in Pittsburgh, PA on June 7, 2018. When the band stepped onto the stage, they set a mood for the audience. This was achieved through the retro style, in terms of personal attire as well as the moods set by the shifting of the lights. As they began to play through their set, it can be heard that this band drives their music through the sense of the groove; meaning, it is easy for any audience member to vibe along with their set, even if they don’t know any of the music played. The band was able to achieve this through providing music that was rather simple in terms of musical construction; however, through this, the band was able to create pleasing melodies and ornate harmonies that helped to enhance the nature of the music. Even though the lights were mentioned earlier, it is important to note that the lighting would often switch to fit the feel of the respected song that the band was performing, this helped the listeners to fully grasp the aura of the selection that the band was presenting. Overall, Colouring put on a fantastic performance that captivated the audience from the second they graced the stage. Additionally, they were the perfect opener for this concert, for both Colouring and LANY have a similar musical style, which will help this band expand to the masses. In a year’s time, this band will likely be doing huge things, so stay tuned.

LANY:

 The band that everyone in attendance was awaiting: LANY. As LANY was gearing up to throw down on the stage, they played with the audience’s patience as their initial introduction was drawn out for a few minutes before crashing into the selection “Dumb Stuff”. This helped to build the adrenaline of the audience, for everyone was already ready for them to hit the stage, but this slight gesture of elongation made that increase all the more. When the band hit the stage, they meant business. They gave their audience a nice mixture of tracks that were on their most recent LP as well as tracks that were standard from their previous EP releases. As they provided such a vast spectrum of their own works, they were able to give their listeners enhanced live versions of all of their favorite works; meaning, in a live music setting, the instrumentalists truly dug into their musical lines, which would heighten each track in its own, unique way. Speaking in similar terms, the band included various instrumental interludes that would fall perfectly in line with the tracks played. During these moments, all members of the band would grind into their personal musical idea. This was seen by each musician just vibing along to their own part that they were contributing to the musical mix. Although this doesn’t seem like a major point, it does make a difference. As the band would vibe along to their own selections, it would make the audience do the same, which only enhanced the groove tune central that this band provided from start to finish. Also, the band was able to enhance each of their selections by the contributions from the piano, electronics, and the synthesizer at times. This helped to give LANY a well-blended feel, speaking in terms of musical genres. Throughout the entire set, the audience was living for the performance, so much so that the artist didn’t have to pry to get the audience to participate, which allowed them to put their all into the show. There was no surprise that each of the members of the group appeared to be having the best time of their lives because each member would dance along with their own selections just as the audience was. As the set concluded, the band was all smiles after they left the audience with a long sustained set of tones that were the result of elongated reverb. It was nice to see the band in such a positive light, for it showed that everyone had a great time throughout the night: not just the audience. Moreover, LANY put on a show-stopping performance that shouldn’t have been missed.

 Final Thoughts:

Overall, I would give this concert a 5 out of 5 stars. I am giving this concert this score for a variety of reasons. The first reason is that both bands set up the evening to be aesthetically pleasing from the first moments of each performance. This made it easier for the audience to connect with the artists and to just vibe along with them as they moved throughout their sets. The other leading reason that I landed on this score is because LANY came onto the stage and sold their performance to the audience in a way that one couldn’t not enjoy it. The pacing was phenomenal, and their set was packed with materials that satisfied the style of the artist perfectly. The band claimed that this tour will solidify the end of the rose era, and let me tell you, it was something to be a part of. Regardless of the content to be performed, please go see both of these artists if you have the opportunity to do so: you won’t be disappointed.