On Friday, April 12, alternative rock band Neon Trees took center stage at Toad’s Place in New Haven, CT. This date was the last stop in a series of only four East Coast headlining shows, wrapping up two months before the band gets ready to hit the road on a 29-date tour across North America as one of two special guests on 311’s “The Unity Tour.”
Hailing from Provo, Utah, Neon Trees quickly became a staple in nearly every 2000’s throwback playlist with their catchy, feel-good pop sound. Consisting of four members – Tyler Glenn (vocalist), Chris Allen (guitarist), Branden Campbell (bassist), and Elaine Bradley (drummer) – the band is best known for their high energy performances, and being keen on crowd engagement.
The debut album “Habits” brought the band’s first hit single “Animal,” followed up only two years later by the sophomore album “Picture Show,” throwing the band further into the spotlight with the 2000’s classic “Everybody Talks.” After its release, “Picture Show” was met with critical acclaim, and helped keep the band on everyone’s radar over the next decade. Over the span of 18 singles, three EP’s, and four full-length albums, Neon Trees graces listeners with upbeat, guitar-heavy tracks that detail stories of love, loss, and self-discovery, that are impossible not to dance to.
Opening for Neon Trees on this short East Coast run was singer/songwriter Ian Biggs, a native of none other than New Haven, CT. It turns out, this tour was not the first time that the two bands have shared the stage, which was made obvious after seeing the camaraderie between the two. Sharing a similar sound with Neon Trees, Ian Biggs did a fantastic job of getting the crowd warmed up and excited for the rest of the night, only pausing the infectious atmosphere once to perform a heartfelt cover of “Fix You” by Coldplay.
Getting an early start to the night at just 8:30, Neon Trees began their set with “Versions of You,” a track from their 2021 EP of the same name. Right off the bat, lead vocalist Tyler Glenn was eager to set the tone for the night by excitedly telling the crowd to “get up and start moving, you’re at a Neon Trees show!”
Followed by “1983,” the popular hit “Animal,” and “Moving in the Dark,” the energy started high and seemed to be staying that way. About halfway through the setlist, a familiar instrumental tune began to play, before Glenn belted out the lyrics to the smash hit 80s track “Don’t You Want Me” by The Human League, which was a unanimous crowd-pleaser.
Diving into their newer material, “Nights,” “Used to Like.” “Skeleton Boy,” and “New Best Friend” were all played one after another, showcasing the band’s most recent album “I Can Feel You Forgetting Me” (2020). Glenn took a moment to talk to the crowd before beginning this sequence, asking who in the audience had listened to their fourth full-length album. After only 22 people raised their hands in response, Glenn laughed and remarked how quickly the past four years have flown by, feeling as if we got sucked into a black hole. Which, personally, I completely agree with.
Closing out the night with “Everybody Talks,” of course, the crowd seemed to leave with spirits that were higher than when they first came in.
If you weren’t able to catch Neon Trees this April, make sure to check out their list of summer tour dates with 311, spanning from July to August.
