Live Music: Passion Pit

Terminal 5 in New York, New York

By Gabby Cabacab

Terminal 5 is probably known as one of the most popular music venues in New York City, and that says a lot because, well... it’s New York City. Artists large and small come to perform in this three story venue, so when you play a sold out show here consider it huge. Needless to say, this was something I was definitely lucky to catch on Saturday when Passion Pit completely sold it out. I’ve taken a couple days to recollect all my thoughts and feelings from the show, so let’s get right to it.

Enter the openers - slenderbodies. This duo from California stepped foot onto NYC soil to play a show here for their first time, and it was definitely one that you didn’t want to miss. When I think back to their performance, the first word that comes to mind is groovy (despite the fact that the word is completely out of style, judge me, I guess). Armed with gentle vocals, airy yet funky guitars, and a beat that you can’t help but tap your foot to, when you close your eyes it’s as if they’re transporting you into a universe that’s just full of good vibes and grooves all around. Also, these guys do an incredible, yet gently funky cover of Electric Feel by MGMT. I couldn’t help but dance while they were performing, and looking around I saw others were feeling it as well. Setting a great and positive vibe for the crowd, slenderbodies definitely did not disappoint.

The venue completely went dark and screams from the crowd went wild when Passion Pit came on stage. Michael Angelakos and his accompanying band kicked off the show in no time with I’ll Be Alright from the sophomore album, Gossamer. With flashing lights, and Michael’s signature voice and contagious energy radiating off the stage and throughout the venue, the crowd was singing and dancing along with him. Playing a good mix of songs from his past 3 albums, Manners, Gossamer, and Kindred including one song (Undertow) off of the new album, Tremendous Sea of Love. Michael ended the show with an encore performance of Take a Walk, prefacing it with a quick commentary about how although 2017 may not have been the best year, we have the power to make 2018 different.

This tour is a long time coming to plenty of fans since Passion Pit has not toured since 2015 to promote Kindred, but it’s been about 6 years for New York City fans in particular, making this show incredibly special. A notable highlight in regards to this tour is in regards to how VIP ticket sales were to go to organizations promoting mental health awareness, a mission very close to Angelakos who himself is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and continues to fight to make mental healthcare accessible to artists.

This was my first time catching Passion Pit live, and it was the perfect way to kick off 2018. If you ever get lucky enough to snag a ticket to one of his shows, it’s one you will never forget. You’ll be dancing and singing along, and trust me when I say dancing. I think that’s just what Passion Pit does to listeners, have us leave with an incredible feeling and huge smiles on our faces.

If you’re interested to learn about Michael Angelakos’ fight for accessible mental healthcare for artists, check out his non-profit organization, The Wishart Group:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA_bWiE6bMC8pSZ8azulDPw

Michael talks more about mental health in his Billboard interview here:

https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/7881044/passion-pit-michael-angelakos-wishart-group-mental-health

Passion Pit: