Echosmith: The Hang Around Tour 16/11/2022

I had much more energy than I did for AWOLNATION on the 13th, after finally sleeping a semi-reasonable amount. I also had some experience exploring San Francisco by this time so felt a lot more comfortable getting from place to place. The venue looked a lot closer to my hotel (when I was crudely zooming in on Google Maps and muttering “I’m sure it’ll be fine”) than it turned out to be, so the forty minute walk surprised me. Instead of blowing all my money on Ubers, I decided to brave travelling there by foot and just rely on one for the way back to the hotel at the end of the night. The Tenderloin neighbourhood is known to be a sketchy area of SF as it is notoriously crime-ridden but The Great American Music Hall sits on the very edge of it, so I never felt in danger. I was a bit nervous entering the neighbourhood but lots of sources online insisted it’s fine if you’re only going to the theatre and promptly leaving again.

I’ve been a fan of Echosmith since ‘Cool Kids’ became a huge hit around ten years ago. I didn’t realise the band members were so young when their debut album came out and still teenagers! They are definitely a very talented and gifted family. I listened to that song on repeat back then because of the relatable lyrics and catchy melody and have easily revisited it hundreds of times since its release, so knew I had to see them live when I discovered they were performing in SF the same time I was there. Like most of my favourite bands, I took longer than I should have to research the rest of their songs and grow to love them as well. Their new single ‘Hang Around’ is my current favourite, closely followed by ‘Bright’ and ‘Diamonds’. It’s difficult to pick favourites because it depends a lot on my mood at the time of listening. I was pleased to see all of these made it into the setlist but there are still a few songs of theirs I’ve yet to familiarise myself with. ‘Come With Me’ (the fortune cookie pick) was completely new to me and I absolutely adored their cover of ‘Take My Breath Away’, which I didn’t know they were going to perform.

I had to show ID to enter the venue which I didn’t need to do at Fox Theater but had my passport on me, since I wasn’t willing to leave anything valuable behind at the hotel. I never trust hotels but have had only positive experiences so far, touch wood! Upon reflection, I was probably much more at risk of having something stolen in The Tenderloin. I could peer into the main hall from the entrance where I got my hand stamped and was relieved to find not too many people crowding the stage by this time. I arrived only about half an hour before the first opening act and most of the people already there were VIP’s, wearing lanyards to make the distinction obvious. I love to get close to the stage/barrier so I can see the musicians clearly and get the best possible photographs. Sometimes you can lose out on the overall aesthetics if you stand so close but it’s never been a problem for me. I didn’t see VIP tickets when I got mine, which was a resale ticket. I’m not sure what bonuses it provided other than early access. Echosmith were lovely and made sure everyone felt welcome and seen – not just the VIP’s in the front row. Sydney Sierota complimented the passionate dancers at the back of the room on more than one occasion. There was one woman who received a lot of attention from each of the bands, so I’m guessing she regularly goes to their shows. Enough for them to recognise her, anyway.

Band of Silver was the first opening act. They are a trio of siblings like Echosmith. They were a lot of fun to watch and listen to. I thought their most distinctive and memorable song was ‘Machine’, which they said was very personal to them because two out of three members of the band have been diagnosed with chronic illness and it’s all about their struggles with that part of their lives. It was a very lively and heartfelt performance, which is the main reason it stayed in my mind. I can’t remember their other songs particularly well but I’m intrigued by them and will refresh my memory. I think their songs should grow on me after hearing them two or three more times, as I remember they had a strong beat to them. I can understand why they were selected to open for Echosmith, as they were uplifting and their songs nicely fitted their style.

Lostboycrow came on after a short interval and continued to fill the room with great music and energy in the lead up to Echosmith. They were amazing entertainers and excited the crowd by leaping around the stage, posing with their guitars and interacting with fans mid-performance. Although both bands complemented Echosmith’s music gorgeously, they both brought something different to the table. It’s hard to pin-point the genres of their music, with Lostboycrow sounding particularly genre-fluid of the two bands. None of their songs spring to mind as I write this but I was tempted to grab myself a signed CD at the end of the show. By the time I made it over to their table at the side of the hall there was nobody else there and I felt too insecure to strike up a conversation with the band and ask for their autographs. I can only apologise for loitering awkwardly in front of them and then ultimately deciding against buying anything at all. I was saving the little confidence I had to talk to Echosmith once they came out to greet us all.

The room erupted into applause when Echosmith finally appeared. They opened with one of their newest songs ‘Gelato’, which is extremely happy-sounding and impossible to feel any kind of negative emotions during. Their songs are wholesome and fill me with warmth each time I listen to them. There’s no arguing the band’s charisma is contagious and I was most likely smiling the whole way through their set. It was obvious they enjoyed being on stage and I overheard somebody behind me compliment SS’s fantastic stage-presence. She expertly captured and held people’s attention while she told stories about the early years of the band and how tough the past couple of years have been for everyone, for obvious reasons.

When introducing ‘Hindsight’ SS talked about how she is an over-thinker and struggles with knowing how to break that habit. She realises she has a tendency to romanticise the past and how looking back at something can make it look better, once it’s shrouded with nostalgia. She says when she was younger she was always rushing to get to the next thing, whatever that may be, instead of living in the moment and properly seeing how good everything around her was. I think this is relatable for a lot of people, including myself – especially when you are a child or teenager. She discussed with her brothers how cool it would be to have “20/20 vision for the moment you’re in now, before it’s gone”. That’s how she came up with the theme and title for this song. I love how she sings the word ‘Hindsight’ when it comes to the chorus as her voice is so smooth and a joy to listen to, especially when she hits those higher notes.

When discussing the past couple of years SS acknowledged there’s been a lot of depression, loss and anxiety – the latter of which she knows a ton about first-hand. She talked about how it was a rough season for everyone and how being back on tour has reminded her how powerful music can be, how music was still there for us even when we couldn’t experience it live like we were used to doing before and to be grateful for who is right in front of her. Most people are lucky enough to have at least one supportive person in their lives who keeps them sane during times like this and SS got us to think of someone we love and appreciate, whether we have a big social circle of fifteen plus people or a small one. She picked various people and asked them who they thought of. I avoided eye contact like the plague so I wouldn’t be picked, like I do at all interactive experiences. She got some lovely answers from people. Most people said their mum or dad. This led on to the segment where they invite someone up on stage to make a video for the person they thought of and shout “I love you” to them down the phone. Someone named Jeremy was selected from the front row to make a video for his dad and he seemed honoured to partake in the experience.

SS talked about how much has changed since she wrote the song ‘Bright’ for their debut album. She said she’s an adult now for a start and, to illustrate this, used the example of being able to rent a car for cheaper than she used to be able to. She said there are a couple of love songs on the first album but she hadn’t actually been in love yet (outside of her own mind, which she claims doesn’t count). She feels she’s really grown with the song and most of us have probably done the same thing. She briefly mentioned the loving relationship she is in and how the song means more to her now than it previously did because she has somebody to think about when she sings it now. She also said fans like to sing along to this one loudly, which she loves to hear.

There is a moment in the show where they bring out a jar of fortune cookies, filled with obscure song requests from fans online. They did a different one each night of the tour (which was reminiscent of Tom Chaplin’s ‘Midpoint’ tour when he treated us to Keane rarities), choosing someone in the crowd to pick out and break open a fortune cookie. It was funny because SS said people requested some truly random songs – some of which she wondered for a second whether it was even one of their songs. They had a lot of re-learning to do! She enjoyed seeing which deep-cuts everyone loved the most and being reminded of songs she hadn’t thought about in a while. She told a story about a fan who showed her a tattoo they had done in her handwriting. She recognised her handwriting but not the lyrics of the song, which was actually one of her own. The options came down to ‘Come With Me’, ‘Safest Place’ or ‘Cool Kids’ with the commonly misheard lyric “Cookies” instead. The song we got was ‘Come With Me’, as I wrote earlier. It was exciting to hear a lesser-known song, especially since it was exclusively played at tonight’s show. I felt like the altered ‘Cool Kids’ song was the most desired of the three but I didn’t really get the reference, being a more casual fan. I preferred the song we got instead.

They stressed how grateful they are to be able to do shows like this and how they know people have travelled far and wide to be here (on a Wednesday night, when weekdays are typically a bit more awkward). SS took a minute to promote their merch and said they took a lot of things into their own hands with this tour, like producing the shows themselves and designing their own hoodies etc. to make everything as affordable as possible. They gave a shout-out to everyone involved in the tour including their mother (who is their manager but seemingly impossible to locatein that moment as she moves around a lot) and all of the venue staff. She told us she wears their tour hoodie every day and asked us not to judge her too hard for it. This is also when they announced they’d come to the merch table after the show to sign things and take pictures with us all. I was excited as this sort of opportunity is rare but wished I had prepared, so I could’ve put more effort into my appearance. Echosmith are very friendly and approachable though and don’t seem the least bit judgemental.

I was planning to ask them to sign my ticket which I had printed on to an A4 piece of paper but remembered when I was queuing that it had someone else’s name on it. Though this wouldn’t have mattered all that much, I decided it would be better to buy a piece of merch for them to sign instead. I opted for their canvas bag with the lyrics ‘I just want to hang around’ on it and re-joined the back of the line, which wasn’t the best idea for my anxiety. When it was eventually my turn to meet the band I talked mostly to Noah (as Sydney was still chatting to the person before me) and told him it was my first time seeing them live etc. There was a woman taking the photos for everyone and I worried she’d be impatient as I was almost the last person to get through but she let me get my bag signed as well as have my photo taken with the band, which was really nice. I think it’s fantastic that they came to meet us all at the end of the show as it proves they value their fans and are truly thankful that we all came to see them. I don’t know if I’ll get the opportunity to see them again but it would be amazing if they came to the UK (or even Europe).

GALLERY: