It’s hard to believe I last saw Bastille five years ago, but I guess that’s what happens when half of those years are spent in a pandemic.
Friday’s concert in Columbus, the final show in their Give Me the Future tour, was my fifth time seeing the band live. Now, I will say, and you can hate me for it, I was least impressed with this show. I don’t know if it’s because it was the last show of the tour, but it was a little rough sounding, and usually they are impeccable. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it. I really did for the most part! The day was a long one though, and I’ll explain why in a minute, but it might be the last time I see these guys for a while. Part of that reason is I’m just not really enjoying what they’re putting out, especially the last two albums, which is what was in heavy rotation on this tour.
Anyways, the day was long because I decided to splurge and get a ticket for the Give Me the Future VIP Experience. This means I took a long drive down to get a lanyard, a custom pin pack, listen to the band play three songs for their soundcheck, and then answer pre-submitted questions. The soundcheck portion was supremely disappointing, but I did like the intimacy of the situation. I was more impressed by how long the Q&A lasted. I truly think that everyone that submitted a question got it asked to the band, and that was pretty cool. Makes me mad that I totally forgot to submit one. Oh, well. Either way, the band was very engaging and seemed very grateful of us all.
After the VIP experience, we all got kicked out of the venue to wait in line again. I spent some time in my air-conditioned car instead because it was hot as hell. Even when my friend and I met up to go back in, we ended up waiting another hour and 45 minutes before the singular opener, 90s KIDS, took the stage. That was ridiculous. I think the last time I waited that long was for an AFI show in 2014. Nothing I could do about it, but still. 90s KIDS were a fairly generic pop punk band, but they were local to Columbus and were seriously amped to be there. Good for them. They even debuted a new song to the crowd called “Pity Parties,” although it was nothing outstanding to my ears.
Luckily, only a short time passed between their set and Bastille’s, who opened they show with a couple of tunes from their latest album, Give Me the Future. A lot more got peppered in throughout the rest of the set, but the only one I really dig from it, as corny as it sounds, is “Back to the Future.” All the rest were just alright. There were a cluster of tracks from their debut album that made the cut, like “Things We Lost in the Fire” and “Oblivion” (easily the worst rendition I’ve heard of it). I did appreciate that they subbed in an acapella version of “Flaws” near the end of the set, and instead of going into the crowd for that one, he instead dove in for “Happier.” I was a little bummed that only one song from their mixtapes made the setlist, but I guess with those there’s a lot of discography to sort through.
Overall, it was a slightly disappointing show that was only made better by being their with my friend and the VIP experience. As I said earlier, I might be giving their shows a break for the next several years. Here’s hoping they put something out I enjoy next, but for the amount I don’t care for it, there are masses of fans that do. Bastille will be just fine without me.