Late on Friday night, tucked away in the heart of Hollywood, the Fonda Theatre was packed with fans of Magic Giant and their opening act, Young Rising Sons. After quietly taking a break during 2017 to recoup following three years of constant releases and touring, and the loss of their lead guitarist, Dylan Scott, Young Rising Sons have returned to prove their hold on the alt-pop space was not temporary.
Opening with their debut, and hit single “High,” the crowd immediately fed into the energy of the band, and was singing right back at them. It was clear many in the crowd were there for them, as lead singer Andy Tongren asked who had seen them live before, and many hands went up. But, even those who were new to Young Rising Sons had the time of their lives and danced throughout their set.
The variety in age of the audience was something I was not expecting — parents brought their younger kids, some older couples in their 50s were drinking and laughing together, and plenty of attendees were in their 20s and 30s. For a band who toured with Halsey, The 1975, The Neighbourhood, and other artists with primarily younger and female-skewed fanbases, it would be easy to assume Young Rising Sons might fall under that niche. However, the enthusiasm of all attendees, regardless of age or gender, showed that they have a broader reach than might be expected. And I’ve got to say, it was pretty awesome to sing along to “Turnin’,” and hear the 50-year-old dad to my left singing along, too.
I first saw Young Rising Sons live when they co-headlined the Troubadour with Halsey in March of 2015 (you can imagine how incredible that show was), and I remember three things from that performance distinctly: whiskey, American flags, and an incredibly enthusiastic crowd. While their lead singer no longer drinks a bottle of Jack on stage, and now has a grey scarf draped around his mic stand in place of an American flag, one thing has stayed the same throughout the years: the band knows how to make the crowd feel right at home, and the crowd in turn absolutely loses themselves in the band’s music.
Although their tour with Magic Giant is wrapping up soon, given the release of two singles in the past few months, a new EP or album paired with another tour should be coming soon. Whenever they come to Philadelphia next, do not miss your chance to see our NJ neighbors, Young Rising Sons.
