By Jack Warner
On Nov. 7, English pop-rock band The 1975 brought another installment of “The 1975: Still…At Their Very Best.” to Newark, New Jersey’s Prudential Center. An entirely sold out arena overflowed with fans from near and far to witness a set that lasted for the better part of two hours. Despite that length, at no point did the energy or good vibes waver.
The stage setting presented a living room, full of couches and lamps, along with an attention-grabbing spiral staircase and a pile of televisions. It was from this very stage that famously problematic frontman Matty Healy, guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross Macdonald, and drummer George Daniel provided fans a taste of nearly every era of their decade-long discography.
Once Matty lit up his cigarette, grabbed his flask, and the beginning notes of “The 1975” began to play, I knew it would be an unforgettable night.
The beginning half of the performance consisted of a medley of songs from the band’s critically acclaimed 2022 record “Being Funny in a Foreign Language”, which peaked at number seven on the U.S Billboard 200 chart. Tracks like “Looking for Somebody (to Love)” and “Oh Caroline” were charmingly sung at the audience and complemented by several different shades of violet stage lighting.
Healy’s first spoken words of the evening arrived seven songs into the set, when he mumbled “I like it when you sleep” – a nod to the band’s 2016 sophomore album “I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it”. He then followed it with a gloomy performance of “Change of Heart”, a slow ballad about lost love that resides from the very album he alluded to.
This first half set closed with what I would call the first ‘big hit’ of the evening, and that was none other than “Robbers”. The best part of this performance was not Healy’s vocals, nor Hann’s undeniable riffs. It was the Prudential Center crowd singing a vast majority of the song’s lyrics at a bone-rattling decibel. I would not be surprised if some Manhattan residents were able to hear concertgoers wail “you look so cool” from across the Hudson.
Following this performance, the main stage went dark, and just moments later, Healy appeared on a B-stage at the other side of the arena, laying next to a wax doll of himself that was completely naked. While the moment was definitely awkward, I had an appreciation for the symbolism being presented. As Matty embraced the wax figure with a defeated expression on his face, a metaphor for vulnerability, shame, guilt, and self-reflection of his past shone through.
He then stepped away from the doll for an acoustic solo performance of “Be My Mistake”, accompanied by thousands of shimmering cell phone lights. The lights went out, and back to the main stage he went.
In all honesty, nothing could have prepared me for how high-octane the second half of this performance would end up being. Because of that, let’s just call it what it was: a greatest hits set.
An interlude from saxophonist John Waugh led the band out into a peppy, feel-good rendition of “If You’re Too Shy (Let me Know)”, completely flipping the energy of the show on its head. What began as a charming, dreamy opening set in front of twinkly lighting, became a loud and upbeat show that made it impossible not to dance.
Healy acknowledged a fan-made sign in the lower bowl of the crowd that read “Play Heart Out”. After a point and a quick chuckle, he granted the two girls their wish as he grabbed his red Fender Stratocaster and led the band into the beloved track of their 2013 debut record, “The 1975”.
Though we almost made it to the end, it would not be a 1975 show without some Matty Healy antics. The band’s long-running bit of Adam Hann cutting off Healy with the first riff of “It’s Not Living (If it’s Not With You)” as soon as Healy begins to talk about something controversial added another episode to the saga.
“I’d like to talk about the ongoing gen–”, Healy states as he’s cut off by ‘It’s Not Living’. What fans may have thought was about to be a rant about the ongoing conflict in Palestine, ultimately putting himself in the crosshairs (something he sure loves to do), ended up being Healy pulling a fast one. What else is new?
Any hope I had of catching my breath from singing was absolutely crushed during the remainder of this set. The band collectively sent us back to high school again as they played “The Sound” and “Somebody Else” back-to-back, and followed that a few songs later with a fiery performance of the iconic rally cry that is “Love It If We Made It”.
“Who loves nostalgia?” Healy would exclaim as he led his bandmates into “Sex”, a beloved pop-punk fusion track from their 2013 debut record. They would close out their main-stage performance with “Give Yourself a Try”.
This night would reach its conclusion on the other side of the arena, as Healy would make his return to the B-stage, this time joined by Ross McDonald and Adam Hann, to close the show with an insanely screamy performance of “People”, that was enough to give just about anyone sensory overload.
This was hands down, an absolutely fantastic evening of music. With rumors of an ‘indefinite hiatus’ on the horizon, I am not only grateful I was able to see them live, but in a general admission pit just feet from the stage.
The 1975 could not have named this tour any more accurately. Despite releasing albums for the past decade, and being together as a band the past two, they really are “Still… At Their Very Best.”
