The Pabst Theater’s house lights fade. As the crowd begins to crescendo, the stage lights up brilliantly. Two Door Cinema Club unassumingly takes the stage even as the audience screams. And then, there it is: the first chord, and we’ve begun.
Two Door Cinema Club released their debut album, “Tourist History,” all the way back in 2010. Despite extensive touring in support of this and their subsequent two albums, the Irish pop rock band has never made it to Milwaukee, and they played like it.
The band began their set with four straight songs from “Tourist History,” to the audience’s delight. The energy in the room was palpable. I have never seen the Pabst filled with this many wholehearted super-fans. Not a single person was seated throughout the entire first floor. The crowd quite literally buzzed for the entire hour-and-a-half set. Lead singer and rhythm guitarist Alex Trimble said to clap, and we clapped. He said to jump, and we jumped. Lead guitarist Sam Halliday excited the audience with his amazing soloing capabilities and adorably awkward dancing.
The light show accompanying the set deserves praise as well. Although I personally could have gone without quite so many strobe light flashes, it added an intensity to the band’s performance. The real stars of the stage, however, were the seven 20-foot tall LED towers that accompanied each song’s narrative perfectly. During “Next Year,” for example, the screens flashed computer codes as the band played the twitchy sine sounds we all associate with nerdy tech guys in spy movies.
I can honestly say this is the best concert I have ever seen at the Pabst Theater. I was never bored and neither were my fellow audience members. I saw a man who looked about 60 whose head-bopping and gigantic smile revealed that he was having the time of his life. I saw a young girl almost fall off the balcony because she was dancing to the peppy beats.
An honorable mention does have to go out to the opening band, Blossoms, as they also put on a great show. This is owed mostly to lead singer Tom Ogden, who entertained with his quirky style of dancing and beautiful singing voice.
Check out photos of the performance below.
Full Setlist:
“Cigarettes in the Theatre”
“Undercover Martyn”
“Do You Want It All”
“This Is the Life”
“Changing of the Seasons”
“Bad Decisions”
“Next Year”
“Come Back Home”
“Lavender”
“Something Good Can Work”
“Are We Ready? (Wreck)”
“Handshake”
“Gameshow”
“Sleep Alone”
“I Can Talk”
“Eat That Up, It’s Good for You”
“Sun”
Encore:
“Someday”
“What You Know”
