Kisses, Cigarettes, and Crawling Into TV Sets: “The 1975 At Their Very Best” Live in San Diego, California

There are certain shows you will attend in your life that keep you thinking long after the lights come back on. And not just about your favorite song that was played, but about the small intermissions and interactions that take place, the buzz that lingers in the air, and the after images that reel on past the final blinks of the eye. For me, “The 1975 At Their Very Best” falls within this category. Their show last Saturday in San Diego struck the crowd with intense nostalgia built on a contemporary landscape, dotted by the erratic notions of the band’s frontman, none other than Matty Healy. Keeping a flask and cigarettes nearby, Healy sauntered about the stage that night, keeping the crowd entertained with his unpredictable dance moves while simultaneously belting out songs that made us cry, groove, and melt. Between Healy recently kissing fans on stage in cinematic bliss during performances of “Robbers” and consuming raw meat in a deadpan display, this tour has conjured up plenty of conversation in each city, prompting stadiums to sell out just so people could get a taste of The 1975 “At Their Very Best.”

Prior to embarking on tour, the band released their fifth studio album to date, Being Funny In A Foreign Language, on October 14th. With production support from Jack Antanoff, the band explored the nuances of their sound here, combining their token pop edge with soft, folkier bits etched in. As always, their lyricism stood out as fans dissected the songs for its witty and sometimes amusing play on words – my personal favorite verse being “I know some ‘Vaccinista tote bag chic baristas’ / Sitting east on their communista keisters.” Their seemingly delicate turn in theme has brought attention to a softer, more mundane commentary found in their music. Songs such as “Oh Caroline” and “I’m In Love With You'' make joyous notions towards our interpersonal relationships in danceable musicality. Then songs like “About You” capture that well known melancholy that we associate with the band. Partnered with a setlist dabbling in songs across their entire discography, the novel album is a finite touch to their craft.

Arriving at the Cal Coast Credit Union Theatre around 8, the band came on shortly after. I could ramble on about their stage design for hours, it is arguably one of the key takeaways from the tour. Healy had posted on Instagram the blueprints of the set up, designed by Tobias Rylander and himself. The post also included a conversation on “escapism,” which presumably influenced their artistic motives in some capacity. It explained that “escapism is mental diversion from unpleasant or boring aspects of daily life, typically through activities involving imagination or entertainment. Escapism may be used to occupy one’s self away from persistent feelings of depression or general sadness.” These aspects are heavily illustrated in the immense real-life visualization. Consisting of about four different “rooms,” the setup took up the entire stage of the venue. At some point in the night Healy made a comment about the layout nearly not fitting in Cal Coast, as it was one of the smaller sites on the tour. 

The stage was decorated by different lamps, TVs, and common household commodities like a leather couch, coffee table, doors, bookshelves, and even a spiral staircase. Like entering a house after a night out, the band came on stage by turning on the lamps and situating themselves within the various rooms. It was casual and brilliant, a nod towards banal reality. Tracing this back to the concept of “escapism,” we can see the artistic narration of the subtle means we use to escape our emotions through the use of imagination within our day to day lives and homes. The layout of their set within a homelike scene clarifies this album’s appeal to our authentic lives and how we confront our emotional spheres. With the flick of a lightswitch, the show began with their latest album's rendition of “The 1975,” beaming with symphonic ease of piano and strings.  

The first chunk of the show was dominated by songs from Being Funny In A Foreign Language. Establishing the vitality of this album, they shifted into an energetic performance of “Looking for Somebody (To Love).” Clad in a leather jacket and a bright red guitar, Healy kicked his feet and jumped around, employing the different variations of his vocals. They then played “Happiness,” with the highlight of the song being when John Waugh had the crowd’s spirits rising while playing the saxophone. The film credits started rolling after that when one of the prop TVs on stage started blaring in static. With a dimming of the lights, Healy sat down on a chair in front of the TV, drinking from his flask, watching the distortion. In a snap of a moment, he looked directly at the camera filming the show and “Part of the Band” began. Between this,“Oh Caroline,” and “I’m In Love With You,” the band captured the essence of their new age. Sonically, the album sounded amazing live, driven by the mastery of guitarist Adam Haan, bassist Ross MacDonald, and drummer George Daniel. 

After a joyride of happier tunes, the mood transformed into something of a more yearning nature with “All I Need to Hear.” Healy sat down on the coffee table with his head in the palm of his hand, smoking a cigarette in nonchalant gloom that is coined by his character. Feeling almost entirely stripped back, we could dive into the genius presented by each member of the band here  in heartfelt breadth. 

Dipping into older projects, the band then played “So Far (It’s Alright)” from their 2013 debut title album and “Roadkill” from Notes On A Conditional Form. Exhilarated by their classic hits, the crowd burst with excitement. Nearly decade old memories began resurfacing, especially when “fallingforyou” started. Reminiscent of their 2014 impact, people swayed to the piercing lyrics where Healy sings about romantic passions and deep longing. 

“About You,” truly the most heartbreaking track from their newest album, was one of the various highlighting songs performed. As smoke and fog poured onto the stage, Healy got down onto his knees, putting his hand out before him, bringing the symbolic image of their “Robbers” music video to mind. Singing about a fragile, tender love, he tore every heart apart in the venue. When the bridge came on, people screamed the words that are vocalized by Carly Holt, who is the wife of the band’s guitarist Adam Haan. The lyrics “There was something ‘bout you that now I can’t remember / It’s the same damn things that made my heart surrender” echoed amongst the crowd in a moving, choral effect. 

Following “When We Are Together” and “Be My Mistake,” a type of intermission took place which began with Healy lying on the floor as people in white coats came on stage, moving different pieces of the presentation around. Soundtracked by an eerie array of strings, Healy was picked up by one of the individuals in a coat and placed on the leather couch, where he slowly started unbuttoning his shirt. The frontman knew what he was doing here as the crowd began screaming and cheering in reaction to his provocative movements that were broadcasted on the big screen. The symbolism here can be interpreted endlessly as an artistic comment through sensuality and infatuation. Thereafter, Healy got up and eased his way over to the wall of TVs that were depicting different snippets of political and pop cultural images. Toppling down to perform a set of push ups, he then climbed into one of the TVs, disappearing and ending the first half of the show. 

The band appeared back on stage moments later, with Healy now in a full suit and tie. They performed their electrifying banger “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know).” This had to be one of my favorite songs that night as it felt like the entire crowd was in sync with one another. Healy danced around stage with a slick, Ferris Bueller kind of style, pointing at the crowd and saying “Let me hear you babies.” Ending with another killer saxophone solo, the band kept this spur of energy going with “TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME.”

The remainder of the night was a combination of songs from all of their albums, pulling heavily from their 2018 project A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships with a passionate conduction of “Love It If We Made It.” Drawing from their title album, their performance of “Robbers” has become the most conversational piece of the tour. The previous night in Las Vegas, Healy had pulled up a fan onstage during the song and kissed them. He did the same in San Diego, wrapping his arms around the fan singing the lyrics “You’d find out everything’s gone wrong” before bringing them in for not one, but two kisses. At that, the crowd started screaming, creating a domino effect of fans claiming they should be the one’s on stage. In all honesty, these kisses embody much of what The 1975 inspires in their music – movie-like moments, rushes of intense infatuation, and pure desire. Falling to his knees and wrenching out the lyrics “Babe, you look so cool,” Healy captured a performance that I’ve been dreaming of for years, fulfilling that craving for a sample of their 2014 tours. 

In order to not leave us floating in the melancholic despair of “Robbers,” they finished off the night with the songs “The Sound,” “Sex,” and “Give Yourself A Try.” Catering towards the lighter and more upbeat sides of their discography, they topped off the night with their feel good, pop anthems. Ending with practically the entire venue jumping around in their seats, people left the venue with tears and smiles all about. 

Personally, this was one of my favorite concerts of the year 2022. With promises made to the audience that they will be touring again next year, I am eager to see how The 1975 progresses as a body of music, innovating the methods of their performances. My friend and I had bought these tickets a sheer hour before the show, marking my most impulsive purchase of the year. But, to say the least, I would do it all over again.