Passion Pit w/ Courtship
Showbox SoDo, Seattle, WA
01.27.18
On a Saturday night, Seattle’s Showbox Sodo was filled with the famous high-pitched wailing and pop rock sound that is uniquely Passion Pit. They kicked off the night strong with “I’ll Be Alright,” followed directly by “Sleepy Head.” To say that the crowd was immediately fanatic is a complete understatement. Fans were in synth-pop heaven.
Supporting the release of last year’s Tremendous Sea of Love album, this marked the band’s first tour since 2016, and the crowd was certainly ready for the reprise. The fan base ranged from young to old, including some cool dads representing with their kids—a symbol of how enjoyable and universal this music is across ages.
If Passion Pit was to release a greatest hits album, the show they played in Seattle would have been the live version of that record. In the span of an hour, the band performed 16 of the best tracks from their last four records. Everything from “Lifed Up (1985),” to “Sleepyhead,” and “The Reeling.” The amount of dancing and jumping that ensued during the night probably led to the floor needing to be replaced. Each hit song was more energetic and poppy than the last, making it impossible not to dance along.
The energy from the band was magnetic, pulling the dancing crowd closer to the stage with each song. Lead singer—and the only remaining original band member—Michael Angelakos, in turn, fed off the energy from the crowd. He danced, stomped his feet, jumped off his keyboard chair, and spun his mic above the crowd. His performance and showmanship elevated each song beyond the audio experience.
When it was all said and done, chanting fans requested “one more song.” Their persistence paid off as Passion Pit returned for an encore, ending the night with “Little Secrets,” “Carried Away,” and finally “Take a Walk.” With such an upbeat and dynamic set, fans left with more energy than when they arrived. They left “higher and higher and higher, higher and higher and higher.”
Review by Allie Leaf
Photos by Logan Westom
Passion Pit
