Photos and Review by Emily Gringorten
@emgringo

Self-proclaimed “Human Musical Group Sensations” Glass Animals brought their Tour of Earth to a packed Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA on September 11th, 2024. Touring in support of their most recent full-length release I Love You So F***ing Much, the band proved that their live performance is as strong as ever. Lo-fi indie rock artist Eyedress kicked off the night with a solid set, perfectly capped off by an adorable cameo from his young daughter.

During the changeover, fans cheered loudly as a crew member took the stage, taunting us by placing a pineapple on a faux rock display. The pineapple became a band symbol after a feature in the chorus of the track “Pork Soda” from the 2017 release How to Be a Human Being. When I saw them back in the day at Berkeley’s Greek Theater in support of that album, many fans brought pineapples of their own to wave in the air (frontman Dave Bayley even entered the crowd and ate part of one). This time though, I didn’t see many fans repping the tropical fruit.

The band, comprising Bayley, guitarist Drew McFarlane, drummer Joe Seaward, and bassist Edmund Irwin-Singer, emerged around 9:10 PM, jumping right into the triumphant “Life Itself” from HTBAHB. The spaceship-inspired stage featured the band playing atop a raised platform, framed by a row of vintage monitors. At the heart of the setup was a glass orb that displayed neon green holograms, heightening this futuristic theme. Unfortunately, venue limitations prohibited the full experience from coming to life, so this show lacked a gigantic light fixture that hovered over the stage, presumably emulating this spacecraft’s roof.

Bayley’s signature dance moves and dramatic expressions were on full display for “Your Love (Déjà vu)” and the angsty track “Wonderful Nothing” from their most recent release. While I was storing my camera equipment I missed “Space Ghost Coast to Coast” and “A Tear in Space (Airlock).” Luckily, I returned just in time for my favorite track “The Other Side of Paradise,” the powerful ballad that produced my favorite concert moment ever during a performance at Red Rocks. Next was “Creatures in Heaven” and “Youth,” during which Bayley’s infectious energy had fans dancing in even the furthest corners of the lawn.

A highlight was “Gooey,” the only track played from 2014’s Zaba, during which Bayley entered the crowd and performed from the second-level balcony. Zaba blends psychedelic elements with exotic influences, resulting in a project that feels like you’re journeying through a lush rainforest. Upon listening to the more mainstream pop ILYSFM, it’s almost hard to imagine that both projects were made by the same band. Next was a newer one called “Show Pony,” during which Bayley sang from atop a raised platform 15 feet in the air. A fan project was organized and audience members were given small paper cutouts to put over their phone flashlights during this song, emulating a colorful galaxy. I haven’t witnessed a project like this since my fangirl Panic! At the Disco days, so it’s sweet to see that GA’s fanbase seems as strong as ever.

The show concluded with the mega-hit “Heat Waves” from 2020’s Dreamland. The song, which spent 91 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 (the longest in history) and sits at over 3 billion Spotify streams, catapulted the band to stardom and earned them their first Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. As a result, Glass Animals can do awesome things like embark on this arena tour, including a sold-out date at Madison Square Garden. However, I think the commercial success has also resulted in a more generic sound that I’m finding hard to latch on to like I did with their older projects. In my area of the crowd, it was clear that the older songs had fans singing and dancing much more than the newer ones. Nevertheless, it doesn’t matter what GA is playing, it’s clear they’re always going to bring nonstop fun and energy into their live performances, and I hope to catch them again soon.