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Photos: The 1975 play the hits at the Armory

Photos by Mariah Crabb for MPR
Photos by Mariah Crabb for MPR

by Cecilia Johnson

May 08, 2019

“It’s hard to put together a set now,” Matt Healy said at the Armory on Tuesday evening. “We’ve got so many songs.”

Or, as Prince would’ve said, “Too many hits!”

Healy’s band the 1975 have put out three stuffed albums in the last six years, earning themselves millions of fans and formidable commercial success. Most recently, they published A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships, and the resulting tour brought them back to the Twin Cities for the seventh time in as many years.

At the Armory, the 1975 united cool and mainstream kids, sweeping everybody up in a floor-shaking dance party. The giddy crowd jumped, shoulder-danced, and tossed their hips from side to side.

The band’s lighting and video elevated the spectacle. Purple and orange beams shone from the Armory’s lofty ceiling, crossing paths and blooming into a foggy, deep-hued mess. During “The Sound,” bold white letters splashed across millennial pink backgrounds, reading negative critiques that the band has ostensibly received: “There’s no danger in this music,” and “They’re essentially just making robotic Huey Lewis tunes.”

For all the deliberation about their set list, The 1975 assembled a solid collection of music at the Armory. They played a generous four songs from their self-titled debut album, including hits “Chocolate” and “Sex.” I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it supplied several tracks, including “Somebody Else” and “The Sound.” And from A Brief Inquiry, they chose “Give Yourself A Try,” “TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME,” and many more.

1975 b
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Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment
This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.