By Gianna Barberia, Lifestyle Editor
The line to get in stretched all the way down Lansdowne Street and around the corner. The college-aged crowd had begun lining up at early hours of morning — the first three girls in line had been there since 3 p.m., but said one girl who had been let in early arrived at 6:30 a.m. for the 8 p.m. show.
Traveling all the way to Boston from their home in London, Oh Wonder performed in front of a sold-out crowd Sept. 22 at the House of Blues for their Ultralife World Tour. Boston was the 10th stop of the North American leg, with stops made in cities like Montreal, Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis earlier in the month. The alt-pop duo played songs from their recently released second album, “Ultralife,” in addition to hits from their self-titled debut album.
When the lights inside the venue finally went dark, the crowd went wild. Red spotlights flashed frantically as a robotic voice asked, “Boston, are you ready?” Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West, the two musicians that make up Oh Wonder, emerged from the darkness, and the giant “OW” in the background illuminated the stage. The pair were full of contagious energy as they played their first song of the night, “High on Humans.”
Throughout the night, the lights changed colors to reflect the mood or theme of the song. The calm, blue lights matched the chill vibes of “Shark” and the following song “Landslide.” The blue lights transitioned into bright pink strobes for a more upbeat song, “Heavy.” As the lights transitioned, so did the audience.
“Boston, it’s Friday night … who wants to dance?” West said as “Heavy” began, encouraging the crowd to get on their feet.
Things slowed things down and became emotional when the duo played “Overgrown.” The song, which repeats the lyric “And I will never let you go,” explores mental health issues and reminds those struggling that they are not alone. Although the audience’s hands had been in the air throughout the entire concert, this time they held up handmade signs that read “WE WILL NEVER LET YOU GO.”
“We wanted to do something special for the band to see in the audience,” said Acton Boxborough Regional High School senior Anya Cervantes, who made the signs with high school junior Matthew Grega. “We love [Oh Wonder] so much, and they are such wonderful and happy people with inspiring music.”
Oh Wonder was noticeably touched, reaching into the audience to take a sign for themselves. This emotion progressed into the next song, “All We Do,” a song Vander Gucht said was about New Year’s resolutions and chasing your dreams.
“We wrote this song 10 to 12 years ago because we had the dream we wanted to be musicians,” she said to the crowd. “So many people told us it would be impossible. Anything is possible — we’re on the other side of the world playing to two and a half thousand people in Boston.”
For the duo’s last song, “Technicolor Beat,” the stage lit up with bright, rainbow colors, featuring every color the lights had been throughout the night and unifying the show. Vander Gucht’s bangs stuck to her sweaty forehead as the pair danced and jumped around the entire stage, ending the concert on an energetic note.
“I’m going to say it: you’ve been my favorite venue I’ve ever played,” Vander Gucht said to a screaming audience before exiting.
One of Oh Wonder’s biggest fans was not among the cheering crowd, but rather on stage with them. Jaymes Young, a singer-songwriter from Seattle, Washington, opened for Oh Wonder, playing seven songs.
“I was a fan of Oh Wonder before they invited me on tour, so I got to thank them for bringing me out,” Young said during his set.
Young’s voice and stage presence was surprisingly strong, given that he was feeling under the weather. He brought a small cup of tea with him on stage that he sipped between songs.
“I had a little too much fun the last four nights, if you know what I mean,” Young said.
He didn’t let his sickness bring him down, instead joking around with fans throughout. When a fan screamed out and asked what kind of tea he was drinking, he yelled back, “Your mama’s tea.”
Compared to Oh Wonder’s energetic set, Young’s performance was more laid-back. However, when he played his hit song, “We Won’t,” the whole crowd swayed and sang along.
The up-and-coming singer had a sizable fan base in the audience, one of whom was second-year Northeastern University marketing major Andrew Tso. Tso, whose favorite song by Young is “Habits Of My Heart,” said the concert was even better than he expected.
“I’ve listened to Jaymes Young since I was probably, like, 14,” he said. “So, I felt like crying.”
