Thursday night Orlando’s Hard Rock Live on September 21st was the scene of three top pop rock acts showing distinctly different ways of performing catchy, crowd-pleasing music. Opening the night was New York indie rockers Joywave, with its unique blend of electronica and guitar rock. The energetic quintet delivered infectious grooves, dirty guitar riffs, and constant entertainment in its short but lively set.
At one point, singer Daniel Armbruster accidentally misidentified the crowd as being from Atlanta, which became a running joke throughout the rest of the set. Joywave delivered a high-octane performance without ever easing off the accelerator, burning through the short set and ending with the hook-laden“Tongues,” the best song off their debut, How Do You Feel Now?
Touring in support of L.A. Divine, Cold War Kids played a set that leaned heavily on that album, which is a shame because it is the band’s worst release. Even so, the Long Beach band delivered a passionate performance, playing mostly slower songs based on the bass grooves and piano chords structure of that album. Nathan Willet’s emotional vocals carried the songs built around melody and sing-along choruses. In addition to hit ballads “First” and “Love Is Mystical,” Cold War Kids played a surprisingly inspiring cover of Rihanna’s R&B crooner “Love on the Brain.” Throughout the set, the band was draped in shadows, using the bare minimum of stage lighting that would allow the band to be seen. The lack of lighting was in keeping with the stage performance’s less is more mentality.
Cold War Kids’ best moments, however, came when letting loose to play the off-kilter rock songs that made up the band’s early work. A fiery rendition of “Hang Me Out To Dry” stood out early in the set, Willet’s voice a howl as it echoed over the band’s most recognizable guitar riff. In both the dirty blues-infused “Mexican Dogs” and the frenetic set closer “Something Is Not Right With Me,” Willet’s snarling voice dueled with the driving bassline of the always-entertaining Matt Maust.
Unlike the two openers, headliner Young the Giant pulled out all the frills and emphasized putting on a show. Frontman Sameer Gadhia strutted, struck pop star poses, and danced onstage. The band played a mostly up-tempo set of bass-heavy danceable pop music with just enough guitar rock mixed in to keep things interesting. Guitar riff heavy songs like “It’s About Time” and “Apartment” provided a good injection of power when the set was getting too pop heavy.
Midway through the set, Young the Giant brought acoustic guitars and a small drum kit to the front of the stage to play a couple stripped-down sing-along numbers. At one point, the stage lighting was turned off entirely so the crowd could light the venue with lighters and flashlight apps.
After an energetic set that was unfortunately sometimes bland, Young the Giant saved their best for last. The pulsating “Home of the Strange,” the hard rocking “Jungle Youth,” the dance-funk “Silvertongue,” and rocker “My Body” closed the set on a high note, showing a band that has enough of a rock edge to add a bit of a bite to its pop set.
