Young The Giant Closes Out Summer In Seattle

Returning to the Seattle area for the first time in around four years, Young The Giant stopped by with Milky Chance and Rosa Linn for their 2023 summer tour.

The indie-rock band’s music often takes a dive into themes of introspection, identity, and relationships, making them gain a cult following in the indie music scene. However, Young The Giant is most notorious for their high-energy performances, and this concert wasn’t an exception to that rule.

As fans filled the 5,000-capacity amphitheater, located in a peaceful park, many ran right to the barricade to see their favorite band up-close. First to come on stage was Rosa Linn, who brought in some mellow energy to ease concert-goers into the night. What stood out most about Linn, was her powerful vocals and consistent belting. Notably, the artist sang her hit song, “SNAP,” which had the crowd singing along, while they were just listening in awe prior. It is to be noted that she delivered raw emotion which translated into the crowd. Overall, she produced a solid performance which left fans waiting for the following acts.

Next up was Milky Chance, which was a highly anticipated performance, despite Young The Giant being the main draw. The duo, hailing from Germany, combine an interesting blend of folk and electronic music, but make it work seamlessly. Their debut single "Stolen Dance" garnered widespread popularity, rapidly becoming a viral sensation and gained them a large mass of listeners. The song also Secured the No. 15 position in the Shazam Hall of Fame, recognized as one of the most "shazamed" tracks in history at 23,331,462 Shazams.

Their energy was infectious, but seemed entirely effortless. In the middle of the setlist, fans became loose and danced along to the upbeat tunes, while still listening contently during the slower songs. While there wasn’t a considerable amount of fan interaction, their crowd control was still one to be mentioned and it was clear that a special connection was made. While I was not expecting a lot from Milky Chance, I find myself shocked at how memorable their set was.

Even with the lights being off, the Washington sun refused to go down as Young The Giant strutted onto the stage. The band came on with a remarkable stage setup, consisting of a giant mirror ball hanging overhead and even incense, which sat on the keyboard and filled the air in the front few rows. Within the first few moments, frontman Sameer Gadhia proved his position as a star. While the band consists of five members, including Jacob Tilley, Payam Doostzadeh, and Eric Cannata on guitar and François Comtois on drums, it was hard to take eyes off of Gadhia. He consistently riled up the crowd with his vocals, but complemented the music with his 70s-esque dance moves and poses. From being basked under lots of pink and orange hues to having video interludes between sets of songs, Young The Giant put on a show that was well worth the trip to a quieter side of the city. 

Despite the band being around for over a decade, it was obvious why they are still such a prevalent staple in the indie music scene. The crowd was diverse in terms of having fans of all ages. From the barricade to the back of the lawn, both teenagers and older demographics were dancing and singing along to the band. Noteworthy songs included hits like, “Cough Syrup,” “Silvertongue,” and my personal favorite, “Mind Over Matter.”

What mattered most was that the band just looked like they were hanging out on stage. While the production was fantastic and mesmerizing, the Young The Giant seemed comfortable and ready to have fun with their crowd. Their shows will have you dancing and head-bobbing along, even if you were to be unfamiliar with their music. If you haven’t seen them yet, you are missing out, but can catch them on the rest of the dates here.

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