Young the Giant Perform an Enchanting Set in San Diego
Photo: Alex Matthews
Photos and words by Alex Matthews
SoCal rock band Young The Giant brought their distinct style of catchy melodic rock and roll to the Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theater at San Diego State University on their Victory Garden Tour. The band which formed in 2004 in Irvine, California, is no stranger to San Diego, having tested the waters here early in their career with shows at venues like the House of Blues and SOMA, before radio play and videos for songs like "My Body" and "Cough Syrup" launched them onto the world stage. While attending high school in Irvine the band originally performed as The Jakes—an acronym created from the first names of the founding members. After shifting lineups and solidifying lead singer Sameer Gadhia, guitarists Jacob Tilley and Eric Cannata, bassist Payam Doostzadeh, and drummer François Comtois, they officially rebranded as Young the Giant. Victory Garden is also the name of their extremely catchy sixth album, which released on May 1st of this year and features the infectious single "Evergreen."
Young The Giant has the amazing ability to create songs with luscious soundscapes and diverse influences in sound and lyrics, somehow drawing such emotion from listeners with their music. They are a fantastic and talented group of musicians, and each member on stage proved to be a spectacular performer at this San Diego concert. Singer and frontman Sameer Gadhia puts so much energy and care into his performance and vocals that he becomes a magnet for fans onstage. At this show he mentioned performing in San Diego many times, including UC San Diego's Sun God Festival, and shared the band's love for their fans here. The set dressing beautifully fit the garden theme, featuring light towers designed to look like flowers placed behind the band. The entire show was lit in beautiful vibrant tones and primary colors. Young the Giant will continue this US Tour through August before bringing the show to Europe later in the year. Openers at this show in San Diego included Cold War Kids and KennyHoopla, who warmed up the crowd perfectly.
The twenty-three song setlist for this show included "Evergreen," "Superposition," "Bitter Fruit," "Apartment," "Repeat," "Mr. Know‐It‐All," "Silvertongue," "Something to Believe In," "Already There," "Garands," "Mona Lisa," "I Got," "This Too Shall Pass," "Titus Was Born," "Ships Passing," "Different Kind of Love," "My Body," "Teachers," "Call Me Back," "The Garden," "Cough Syrup," "The Walk Home," and "Mind Over Matter."
