Young the Giant
The Rave – Milwaukee, WI
2/21/2012
All Photos by Paul Weber

Young the Giant:
Sameer Gadhia – vocals
Jacob Tilley – guitar
Eric Cannata – guitar/vocals
Payam Doostzadeh – bass
Francois Comtois – drums/vocals

Young the Giant is riding high on a huge success of their second single “Cough Syrup” off their 2010 self-titled release. Another high note for the band was Fox’s hit show Glee covering  “Cough Syrup” in their latest episode.  The band is also set to play on one of the hottest music festivals this summer, Bonnaroo, as well as the Hangout Music Festival in Alabama. Their latest headlining tour is sold-out with the support of Walk the Moon. Thus, 2012 is looking good for this alternative rock band from Irvine, California.

Last night at the Rave was very interesting. This was the first time I’ve seen Young the Giant live after hearing the chatter about “Cough Syrup.”  It’s pretty bad of me because these guys have been around since 2004 and were formerly known as The Jakes. They sure know how to make an incredible first impression and one of the things I noticed was the amazing lighted backdrop on stage; it illuminated the stage setting the tone for the show.  There were hanging lanterns along with stands of exposed light bulbs that dominated the back of the stage.  The real surprising thing I noticed was how many fans, young ones, in attendance smoked pot.  That’s all I smelled as soon as the first song was over.  It was unexpected and slightly funny because just a couple weeks before Megadeth and Motorhead were at the Rave and that very familiar scent was not present.  For Young the Giant to be playing Bonnaroo just seems more appropriate than ever.

“My Body” Music Video

I can dig Young the Giant because they are a cross between Coldplay and Kings of Leon. At times  Sameer’s vocals even reminded me of Jim Morrison from the Doors.  He has such a strong vocal presence that trumps many of the other bands in the alternative rock genre.  As mentioned above the hanging lights from the back of the stage lit up the band and created a surreal vibe for their alternative rock sound.

This is the time to catch them before they hit it really big. Tour dates and photos from their set below.

Setlist:

I Got
Guns Out
Shake My Hand
12 Fingers
What You Get
Cough Syrup
Ever Little Thing
St. Walker
God Made Man
Apartment
–
My Body

Photos from Young the Giant’s set at the Rave in Milwaukee:

Young the Giant on Tour:

Wed-Feb-15   Tucson, AZ       Rialto Theatre (+) – SOLD OUT
Thu-Feb-16     Phoenix, AZ       Crescent Ballroom (+) – SOLD OUT
Fri-Feb-17       Phoenix, AZ       Crescent Ballroom (+) – SOLD OUT
Sat-Feb-18       Denver, CO       Ogden (+) – SOLD OUT
Mon-Feb-20    Minneapolis, MN       First Avenue (+)
Tue-Feb-21       Milwaukee, WI       Rave Ballroom (+)
Thu-Feb-23       Chicago, IL        The Riviera (+) – SOLD OUT
Fri-Feb-24        Covington, KY       Madison Theatre (+) – SOLD OUT
Sat-Feb-25        Columbus, OH        Newport Music Hall (+) – SOLD OUT
Sun-Feb-26       Cleveland, OH       Beachland Ballroom (+) – SOLD OUT
Tue-Feb-28       Detroit, MI        Majestic Theatre (+) – SOLD OUT
Thu-Mar-01      Toronto, ON        Sound Academy(+) – SOLD OUT
Fri-Mar-02       Ottawa, ON        The Bronson Centre (+) – SOLD OUT
Sat-Mar-03       Montreal, QC       Cabaret-Mile End (+) – SOLD OUT
Sun-Mar-04      Quebec City, QC       Le Cercle (+)
Tue-Mar-06      Burlington, VT       Higher Ground ( ! )
Thu-Mar-08      Boston, MA       House of Blues ( ! ) – SOLD OUT
Fri-Mar-09        New York, NY       Terminal 5 ( ! ) – SOLD OUT
Sat-Mar-10        Philadelphia, PA      Electric Factory ( ! ) – SOLD OUT
Sun-Mar-11       Washington, DC       9:30 Club( ! ) – SOLD OUT
Thu-Mar-15       Atlanta, GA       Center Stage ( ! ) – SOLD OUT
Fri-Mar-16         Jacksonville, FL       Freebird Live ( ! ) – SOLD OUT
Sat-Mar-17         Tampa, FL       Ritz Ybor ( ! )
Sun-Mar-18       Ft. Lauderdale, FL       Culture Room ( ! ) – SOLD OUT
Tue-Mar-20      New Orleans, LA       House of Blues ( ! ) – SOLD OUT
Thu-Mar-22      Houston, TX       Warehouse Live ( ! ) – SOLD OUT
Fri-Mar-23        Dallas, TX       Prophet Bar ( ! ) – SOLD OUT
Sat-Mar-24       Austin, TX       Stubb’s BBQ ( ! ) – SOLD OUT
Sat-Mar-25       Austin, TX       Stubb’s BBQ ( ! ) – SOLD OUT
Tue-Mar-27      Tulsa, OK       Cain’s Ballroom ( ! )
Thu-Mar-29      St. Louis, MO      Pageant ( ! )
Fri-Mar-30       Kansas City, MO       The Midland ( ! ) – SOLD OUT
Sat-Mar-31       Des Moines, IA       People’s Court ( ! ) – SOLD OUT
Tue-Apr-03       Salt Lake City, UT       In The Venue ( ! )
Thur-Apr-05     Portland, OR       Roseland Theater ( ! )
Fri-Apr-06        Portland, OR       Roseland Theater ( ! ) – SOLD OUT
Sat-Apr-07       Seattle, WA      Moore Theatre ( ! ) – SOLD OUT

ADDITIONAL 2012 TOUR DATES:
Sun-Apr-01     The Boulder Theater   eTown Presents Boulder, CO
Fri-Apr 20       STAGE AE     Pittsburgh, PA
Sun-Apr-22     The National     Richmond, VA
Thur-Apr-26    The Fillmore     Charlotte Charlotte, NC
May 18-20      Hangout Music Festival       Gulf Shores, AL
June 7-10       Bonnaroo       Manchester, TN
Sat-Jul-14       Edgefest/Downsview Park      Toronto, Canada
Mon-Jul-16      Central Park Summerstage      New York, NY
Thurs-Jul-22      Pacific Amphitheatre/OC Fair       Costa Mesa, CA

(+) = w/Special Guest WALK THE MOON
( ! ) = w/Special Guest GROUPLOVE

http://www.youngthegiant.com
http://blog.youngthegiant.com/
http://www.twitter.com/youngthegiant