Pop Break Live: Passion Pit with The Beaches at Pier 17 in New York City
To say 2009 was a significant year in indie music would be a drastic understatement. The year was filled with monumental breakout albums including Grizzly Bear’s Veckatimest, The Dirty Projectors’ Bitte Orca, Phoenix’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, and Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion. While all of these albums are amazing, they were hardly the first we had heard from these artists, in fact, none of these breakout hits were any of these bands first studio album.
Another 2009 smash hit celebrates their anniversary this year, Passion Pit’s Manners, the first full-length studio album from Michael Angelakos and co. The year prior, the band’s Chunk of Change EP, a belated Valentine’s Day gift to Angelakos then-girlfriend, would be the first introduction to the band from Cambridge, Massachusetts. In an extremely crowded indie music scene, Passion Pit set themselves apart with their bombastic synth-pop sound and Angelakos’ unique and infectious vocals.
Passion Pit is now on tour for the 10 year anniversary of Manners, and their first night at Pier 17 in New York City marked an even more special occasion with lead singer Angelakos celebrating his 32nd birthday.
Canadian alternative rock band, The Beaches opened things up with a fantastic set before Passion Pit took the stage. The band performed their debut album in full with the crowd singing along to every song. Angelakos, who has undergone treatment for bipolar disorder and other mental health issues, was filled with relentless energy throughout the night and even mentioned between songs that this was the happiest he had ever been on tour.
After playing through Manners, the band took a short break and played some other hit songs from their discography including “I’ll Be Alright,” “Constant Conversations,” and “Carried Away,” from their 2012 sophomore album, Gossamer, as well as, “Lifted Up (1985) from 2015’s Kindred. They closed out the night with their smash hit, “Take a Walk” ending an incredible and nostalgic night of music.
Passion Pit
Make Light
Little Secrets
Moth’s Wings
The Reeling
Eyes as Candles
Swimming in the Flood
Folds in Your Hands
To Kingdom Come
Sleepyhead
Let Your Love Grow Tall
Seaweed Song
Encore:
I’ll Be Alright
Lifted Up (1985)
Constant Conversations
Carried Away
Take a Walk
The Beaches
