It’s time to stop referring to 5 Seconds of Summer as a “boy band.”
It’s really just a modern-rock/pop act — and a better one than most might think.
Of course, I don’t have to sell this to the 11,000-plus fans who turned out to see the Australian quartet — vocalist-guitarists Luke Hemmings and Michael Clifford, bassist-vocalist Calum Hood and drummer Ashton Irwin — at the Concord Pavilion on Tuesday.
Those ardent followers — mostly teen and preteen females — already know that these four young lads have plenty to offer musically.
Still, there are others who probably haven’t given 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) a real chance, possibly because of the “boy band” tag that is typically attached to the group’s name.
Yet, these four fellows — who were scheduled to perform Wednesday at Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View — don’t do dance routines or sing songs that sound like they should only be aired on Radio Disney. Instead, they play their instruments — and play them quite well. And their music seems suitable for a fairly wide age range.
Sure, 5SOS basically came to fame as the opening act for One Direction, and thus came to be known by many as “the next One Direction.” But there’s very little about this band that reminds you of One Direction. As a musical entity, 5SOS has far more to offer than One Direction. It has a better song book and performs better on stage. And while One Direction has probably already peaked as a concert act, 5SOS should only get better. This is, after all, the band’s first-ever headlining tour of amphitheaters.
Following a fine opening set by pop act Hey Violet (formerly known as Cherri Bomb), 5SOS kicked off its performance with a rowdy run through “End Up Here” and then motored right on with “Out of My Limit” and “Voodoo Doll.”
Of course, the band, which started in 2011, doesn’t have a very deep catalog, with only one full-length studio album to its credit, and a follow-up live album.
The music was mainstream modern rock and radio-friendly pop, rarely amazing, but always solid. It felt familiar and safe, which is often a surefire recipe for success in today’s music business.
The sound was often reminiscent of, but not quite matching, other acts. The group alternately came across like Jimmy Eat World, without the razor sharp hooks; Blink-182, without the potty-mouth “humor”; Weezer, without Rivers Cuomo. The group also showed its Green Day side, as it delivered a fantastic cover of the legendary East Bay troupe’s “American Idiot.” One would hope that the 5SOS guys realized they were performing the tune — which has been a staple in this tour’s set list — in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band’s backyard. If so, however, they made no mention of it onstage.
The band closed the main set by performing the new single “She’s Kinda Hot,” which is one of the group’s best tracks to date, and the smash “She Looks So Perfect.”
In all, the concert illustrated why 5SOS won’t live up to predictions and become the next One Direction. Yet, it also underscored why fans should be quite OK with that result.
Follow Jim Harrington at Twitter.com/jimthecritic and www.facebook.com/jim.bayareanews.
