The last time Passion Pit performed at San Diego State, the band was opening for Muse in 2010 at the Viejas Arena. Not a bad gig for a relatively new group.
Now, the Boston-based synth-pop group is headlining tours and sub-headlining major music festivals. The band drew a respectable crowd to SDSU’s Open Air Theatre for an evening of quality music.
With a single-heavy discography, Passion Pit’s set list was nothing but rich and concrete. At 9 p.m., frontman Michael Angelakos and company ascended the colorfully lit stage to epic orchestra tunes that transformed into the song “Cry Like a Ghost.”
Except for “The Reeling,” the first half of the set was predominately material from the new record “Gossamer.” Fortunately, the new songs were well-received by fans, considering it’s usually difficult for bands to excite audiences with fresh and unfamiliar material.
From a technical standpoint, the band’s tediously produced music is reliant on computers and synthesizers that are set to specific settings. This makes preserving an identical sound for a live setting seemingly impossible. Additionally, Angelakos sings a notable high pitch and variable volumes depending on the track, which can make things tricky for the technicians at the soundboard. However, Passion Pit was successful in transforming more organic versions of songs into a live format.
At the beginning of the band’s career critics negatively commented on how Angelakos’ fragile vocals tended to get absorbed in the mix of the instruments. But since then, Passion Pit has significantly improved its sound and the overall energy of its shows.
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Photos by Kevin Serrano, staff photographer
