Sep 29, 2023

5 Seconds of Summer, Is This Goodbye?

It’s not goodbye just a see you later, right? RIGHT?

It’s not goodbye just a see you later, right? RIGHT? 5 Seconds of Summer are currently wrapping up the North American Leg of their 5 Seconds of Summer Show Tour, and we caught them as they played just outside of Nashville in Franklin, Tennessee at FirstBank Amphitheatre. With a jammed packed setlist of old and new songs alike, “Vapor,” “Babylon,” “2011,” and “Bad Omens” had the outdoor amphitheater rattling between rock formations as the sold out audience screamed and danced along with the band. The 5 Seconds of Summer Show felt like the band's own Eras’ Tour complete with their version of Surprise Songs, chosen by a gigantic inflatable dice tossed around the audience. The dice was comprised with deep cuts and songs that the band has publicly shared their lack of love for such as “Don’t Stop,” and “Heartbreak Girl.” While I had my fingers crossed for either “Voodoo Doll,” or “English Love Affair,” Franklin, Tennessee’s ears were blessed with “Heartache on the Big Screen.”

Photos: @lucykjoness

From very early on in the night, the show felt immeasurably like a goodbye to the fans who have stuck by the 4 members of 5SOS for over a decade now. A nostalgic night full of songs often ignored by the band when they play live shows now, you can’t help but feel the tug in the back of your mind that the next live shows the band will be playing after this tour will likely be years from now. With members Luke Hemmings and Michael Clifford getting married to their respective partners, and Michael recently announcing his partner and he will be welcoming a little girl next year, it's not hard to understand why the band will likely be taking a bit of a break. 5SOS released their album CALM right at the beginning of the pandemic and went on tour for almost the entire year as soon as the world opened back up again in 2022, throw their 10 year celebration, and their fifth studio album 5SOS5 that dropped in September 2022, among all of the press, festivals and one night only shows, 5 Seconds of Summer has been incredibly busy these past few years, and a break is more than deserved. Even with all of that said, it tugs at my heart to say goodbye even for just a little bit. 5SOS was the first band I ever saw live in 2013, when they opened for One Direction, and as a Directioner it is fair to say that any sort of hiatus that could be potentially announced from 5SOS will be emotionally devastating, but enough about the “what ifs.” Calum Hood mentioned during the show that the band will be playing together in their old age, and personally I will be clinging to those words for the foreseeable future.

Photos: @lucykjoness

5SOS knows how to put on a show, they’ve been doing it for over a decade now and that is clear during every second Luke, Calum, Ashton, and Michael are on stage together. Their goofy nature on stage with one another and the audience, through their onstage antics and banter and the silly mid-show video shown makes it feel like nothing has changed since they were just mere teenagers thrown into the spotlight, and yet so much has changed. Perphaps it’s the parasocial nature of the relationship I have with them from growing up alongside them, but 5SOS shows feel like I am singing with my friends in a dingy basement just having a good fucking time, and I will sorely miss them hanging out with them for however long they decide to take a break for. 5 Seconds of Summer will always be my favorite concerts, where I feel most like myself amidst a crowd of the people that just get it, I can’t wait to grow old with the band and still be shouting the same lyrics together. I truly don’t think this is goodbye even though it felt like one, in my gut I know it’s just a see you later. So, see you later 5SOS, I’ll be waiting for you when you return.