On Wednesday, April 29, BOYS LIKE GIRLS brought their “Soundtrack of Your Life” tour through Marquee Theatre in Tempe, AZ. The tour celebrates the 20th anniversary of the album that would launch their career, as well as the 17th anniversary of their sophomore album, "Love Drunk," with both albums played in their entirety and in tracklist order. Their 33-date trek across the US is winding down, with only a handful of dates left before they take the show overseas to the UK. Supporting BOYS LIKE GIRLS for the full length of the US tour is Arrows in Action, and I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME. Elder emos packed the room, many with young children attached to their hips, ready to relive the nostalgia of their young adult years.
The last time that Arrows in Action came through Tempe, AZ, they performed as a duo, as guitarist Matthew Fowler was down for the count that evening. They put on a killer performance despite being down a member. Fans, myself included, were excited to witness the alt-rock trio in their full form this evening, and they did not disappoint. From the moment they opened with “Light Like You,” a track from their newly released record, “I Think I’ve Heard This Before,” the trio brought an impressive energy that was a lot of fun to watch. The audience was hooked from the start, and songs like their new track “Twice” had them grooving. I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME’s drummer took over for Arrows in Action’s Jesse Frimmel mid-set so that he could join his bandmates at the front of the stage for a performance of “Head in the Cloud,” which featured him on vocals along with frontman Victor Viramontes-Pattison. Before moving into the song, Frimmel shared that the first song he ever purchased on iTunes was BOYS LIKE GIRLS’ “The Great Escape,” and what a dream it was for them to be performing on the same lineup. They ramped up their energy to close out the set with “Cheekbones,” which had the whole room dancing and clapping along with the track. The band was an excellent fit for this bill, and it was clear that by the end of the set, those unfamiliar with them before the show were leaving as fans.
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I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME, the now solo project of singer-songwriter Dallon Weekes, took the stage next. As the opening notes rang out and Weekes was about to deliver the first lyric, a member of the crowd shouted, “We love the opening band!” Weekes shook his head as he sang, “Nobody Likes the Opening Band,” a comical choice as one of the opening bands. As they continued, it was clear that the audience, in fact, did like the opening band. Weekes and his crew worked the stage, with Weekes’ performance in particular giving a theatrical vibe that was very entertaining to watch. They continued with tracks from both of their studio albums, “RAZZMATAZZ” and “GLOOM DIVISION,” as well as from their 2018 EP “1981 Extended Play.” The band wrapped their set with “Razzmatazz,” during which the band’s guitarist traded his guitar for a saxophone. The crowd went crazy as the song came to an end, giving the band the send-off they deserved as they took their bow and exited the stage.
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While I have seen BOYS LIKE GIRLS play a handful of times over the years, it has been nearly two decades since I have had the pleasure of seeing them at the top of a bill. That show took place in this very venue. The year was 2007. I was freshly 19 years old and on a first date with a long-time crush. The band was riding a wave of momentum after the 2006 release of their debut self-titled album. “Hero/Heroine” and “Thunder” were everywhere, in regular rotation on our alt radio station’s playlist, and plastered all over the MySpace profiles of scene kids all over the US. And while that crush may be history, BOYS LIKE GIRLS has remained a staple in my life ever since, soundtracking my young adulthood and beyond. While I’ve seen the hits played in sets over the last few years, I was excited to see “Boys Like Girls” played in full for the first time since that show nearly 20 years ago.
As the crew moved quickly to prepare the stage for BOYS LIKE GIRLS, their elaborate set design was revealed. Bulky, old-school TVs of all sizes were scattered and stacked every which way, surrounding the drumset at the back of the stage, as well as arranged beneath a pair of risers at the front of the stage. They were the type you had as children, when flat screens were not the norm but a luxury. The TVs, along with the pre-show playlist, added even more nostalgic value to the evening. As the lights went down, the TVs came to life, playing iconic media clips from the period when “Boys Like Girls” and “Love Drunk” were released. John Keefe approached his instrument, ripping a cigarette under the spotlight as he prepared to demolish the drums. Outfitted in leather, flashy shoes, and glitz, and with cigarettes in hand, the rest of the band emerged, launching straight into the first album of the evening: “Love Drunk.”
It’s rare to see “Love Drunk” played outside of the band’s encore, but its early appearance in the set sent the audience’s energy through the roof, and it never let up from there. The crowd transformed into a sea of jumping bodies, fists in the air as they sang along to every word. The crowd’s excitement was especially high for those rarely played tracks. BOYS LIKE GIRLS has come to be known for their high-energy sets, and tonight was no different. Jamel Hawke and Greg James bounced around the stage, trading risers and shredding their guitars with such intensity that they nearly went into a full back bend. Frontman Martin Johnson was no exception, working the stage while engaging with the crowd, banging on the tambourine, and ripping it up on guitar, all while keeping his vocals flawless. A lit cigarette dangled from Keefe’s mouth as he pounded the drums, stamina never fading. They wrapped up the “Love Drunk” era with “Go” before leaving the stage for an intermission.
After an outfit change and about 15 minutes, the band returned to the stage, puffing on cigs as they started into the play-through of “Boys Like Girls.” The intermission between records allowed the elder emos of the crowd a much-needed break to conserve their energy and rest their undoubtedly aching backs, and good thing, because the moment the band returned, they were ready to go hard. The crowd surfers started as the band kicked off the second half of their set with “The Great Escape.” Johnson took moments in between tracks and flinging guitar picks to connect with the audience and express gratitude. After “On Top Of The World,” Johnson shared the story behind “Thunder,” which stemmed from a crush’s AIM away message: "Your voice is the soundtrack of my summer,” scrawled across the box in pink, sparkly font. The audience let out screams as the lyric that started it all was shared, knowing they were about to play the highly anticipated track. Nearing the end of their set, Johnson shared, “Whether it was a song loaded into an iPod or burned on a CD lost to the abyss of a cardboard box somewhere, a song you heard on the radio perhaps, or an album we played top to bottom… maybe two albums front to back, we are a part of the soundtrack to your life, and we are eternally grateful. The soundtrack of your voices has been the soundtrack of our lives the last couple of years. Thanks for giving us a life beyond our wildest dreams over the past 20 years.” The sentiment was the perfect segway into the ending of their set, a mashup of “Love Drunk” and “The Great Escape” during which the band and the audience poured out every last ounce of energy dancing and singing along. As the set ended and Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” blared over the speakers, each member of the band passed out items that would be cherished by those who received them: branded guitar picks, drumsticks, setlists, and sweat rags.
BOYS LIKE GIRLS will make their way through the Pacific Northwest over the next several days, making stops in Wheatland, Portland, Spokane, and Boise before the US leg of "The Soundtrack of Your Life" tour wraps in Seattle on May 10. The band is set to bring the tour overseas in July for four dates in the UK. For ticketing information, visit: https://www.boyslikegirls.com/tour.
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