The Pop Break Live: Radio 104.5 11th Birthday Celebration Day One at the BB&T Pavilion
Words by Christian Bischoff | Photos by Al Mannarino
Radio 104.5 celebrated their 11th birthday in the first of two shows at Camden’s BB&T Pavilion. Concert-goers braved the oppressive heat to see 104.5’s biggest birthday show yet, featuring seven acts on the main stage and four up-and-comers on the discovery stage. Sunday’s show featured a star-studded cast, headed by Jared Leto led rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars.
Day one of the celebrations were marked by appearances from alternative funk band turned hitmaker Portugal. The Man, Walk the Moon, and CHVRCHES, as well as sets from alternative radio darlings Misterwives, The Neighbourhood, and Saint Slumber. The lineup showcased the birthday celebration’s strongest lineup in years, keeping fans dancing all day despite the heat.
San Diego based rock outfit L.I.F.T (Love In Future Times) kicked things off at the New Music discovery stage. The band, signed to Pete Wentz’s DCD2 label, is reminiscent of Twenty-One Pilots or Linkin Park, with trap beats giving way to anthemic, guitar-driven choruses. Frontman Austin Arthur switched seamlessly between hard-hitting, punchy rap to melodic pop-punk rasp throughout his set. Majestic Casual duo slenderbodies followed their act, offering tight guitar riffs and airy vocals. Reverb-heavy tracks like “amnesia” and “anemone” anchored the band’s set firmly in the sounds of the summer, allowing them to act as purveyors of breezy easy listening.
The Aces offered up danceable tunes from their first album, When My Heart Felt Volcanic. The band established themselves as a group to watch with their energetic set and catchy hooks. 104.5 mainstay Joywave headlined the new New Music discovery stage with their trademark blend of synth and chunky bass and smooth falsetto.
Saint Slumber and The Neighbourhood opened the main stage. Local Philly/NYC band Saint Slumber offered heavily layered vocals, distorted bass, and riverbed riffs to kick off the show, offering a strong showing ahead of the expected release of their second album, Youth//2, expected to drop summer 2018.
The Neighbourhood followed, drawing a huge crowd to the pit. Lead singer Jesse Rutherford performed a stirring rendition of their 2015 hit Daddy Issues in honor of Father’s Day before closing their set with their instant classic, “Sweater Weather.”
Rainbow-colored rock group Misterwives followed, with singer Mandy Lee high kicking her way through the band’s early songs in bright white co-ords. The band opened with two singles from their 2017 release Connect the Dots, “Machine” and “Coloring Outside the Lines.” Later, they performed a dreamy cover of the Cranberries’ “Dreams,” and closed their set with a one-two punch of the hits that launched them to stardom, “Reflections,” and “Our Own House.”
Scottish synth-pop trio Chvrches followed, performing songs from their third album, Love Is Dead, as well as singles from their first two releases. The trio opened with recently released banger “Get Out,” before playing earlier anthemic tracks like “Bury It,” and “Gun.” They closed their set with their third single from their latest record, the downbeat, synth crescendo of “Never Say Die.”
Walk the Moon took the stage to the Lion King’s “Circle of Life” before launching into “One Foot.” Their set provided a much-needed energy boost, as the entire crowd joined in to sing “Lisa Baby,” a single off of their self-titled first studio release.
The Ohio-based band unleashed a cavalcade of hits, from their synth-driven bop “Different Colors” to their runaway hit “Different Colors,” before closing with their initial breakthrough success, “Anna Sun.”
The tone of the show shifted dramatically when Portugal. The Man took the stage, as the band performed in near total darkness as an array of psychedelic cartoons and animations played on a huge screen behind them. The group was played in by a Beavis and Butthead short, and opened with a pair of covers, performing Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” as well as Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall Part 2.”
The band grooved through their ten-song set with almost no break between songs, closing with “Feel It Still” and “Sleep Forever,” and a brief cover of “Hey Jude.”
Finally, Jared Leto-led arena rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars closed the show in a display of lights. Leto was portrayed as the only dynamic part of the band, from his near-messianic presentation to his extensive movement around and across the stage. Huge rectangles of light moved behind him, boxing the band in and framing the musician. The band opened the set with “Monolith,” and later prompted sing-a-long versions of their singles “Kings and Queens” and This is War.” Leto electrified the crowd, bringing fans onstage throughout the set.
Get Out
Bury It
Gun
Graffiti
Miracle
Under the Tide
Recover
Leave a Trace
Clearest Blue
The Mother We Share
Never Say Die
One Foot
Lisa Baby
Portugal
Different Colors
Avalanche
Surrender
Kamikaze
Shut Up and Dance
Headphones (with Kashmir snippet)
Anna Sun
For Whom the Bell Tolls (Metallica cover)
Another Brick in the Wall Part 2 (Pink Floyd cover)
Purple Yellow Red and Blue
Atomic Man (Gimme Shelter snippet)
Hip Hop Kids
Holy Roller (Hallelujah)
Modern Jesus
Live in the Moment
Feel It Still
Sleep Forever (snippets of Plastic Soldiers and Hey Jude)
Monolith
Up in the Air
Kings and Queens
This Is War
Dangerous Night
Do or Die
Pyres of Varanasi
The Kill (Bury Me)
Rescue Me
Walk on Water
Closer to the Edge
