There’s a lot of perks to being short, especially at a concert. For example……  well, I can’t think of any right now. However, it didn’t matter that the tallest people in North America were standing in front of me for the first half of Young the Giant. Front man, Sameer Gadhia, carried enough stage presence and energy to reach every person beyond the walls of the Anthem.

With DC being the last show of leg one on their 2018-2019 tour, the indie pop/rock band came on stage with the intention of promoting their new album, “Mirror Master.” Thanks to a good mix of old and new, Young the Giant did just that, while still giving back to the fans that have been there since the very beginning. Concert goers danced to new hits including “Heat of the Summer,” and “Oblivion” while singing, screaming, and crying along to classics such as “Apartment,” “Cough Syrup,” and “Mind Over Matter.” Meanwhile, Sameer Gadhia (lead vocals), Jacob Tilley (guitar), Eric Cannata (guitar), Payam Doostzadeh (bass guitar), and Francois Comtois (drums) brought their all to every song as Gadhia jumped across the stage, belting with more passion than he does on recordings, if that’s even possible.

The energy flowing throughout the venue was contagious, but the most special part of Young the Giant’s performance was around the middle of the show. The intensity was still present, but the mood became much more intimate. A beautiful acoustic version of, “Art Exhibit” slowed things down as everyone seemed to become entranced by Gadhia’s raw vocals and soft fingerpicking. Continuing the hypnotic intimacy with the mysterious opening riff of “Firelight,” Gadhia explained, “So we figured for this song, you guys could share that part of yourself that you never share with anyone, through a source of light.” Midway through the melody, I looked around at the thousands of bright white dots filling up the space around me. There is no other way to describe this site except magical. In that moment I stopped trying to take pictures and just stood there with my phone in the air, sharing a part of me through a small source of light.

After finishing the concert with a bang and hyping the crowd for more, Young the Giant came back onstage for a four song finale which ended unsurprisingly with “My Body.” Not only did the fans go absolutely crazy, but so did everyone onstage as every member of opening act, Lights, joined the party as well as stage crew members and even Young the Giant’s manager. The whole scene was filled with so much joy. It proved that in addition to wanting to put on a great performance and connect with their fans, Young the Giant genuinely loves what they do, making them a great band to see live.