Few shows have ever brought me to a venue like the magnificent Pantages Theater in Los Angeles. It was a chilly night this past Saturday that I got my chance as I caught Keane and Youngblood Hawke performed there, just down the street from the iconic Capitol Records building in Hollywood. The scene that night was nothing short of noteworthy. The show’s audience of all ages (literally toddlers to elderly) stood patiently to get in to the Pantages and find their seats as the usual Saturday bar and nightclub night crowd hustled by outside, looking on with interest at the crowd in front of the theater.
People settled into their seats, most of them die hard Keane fans from the early to mid 2000’s, seemingly unaware that they were about to witness the youthful vibes of some up-and-comers on the LA scene open the show. Youngblood Hawke delivered a shimmering set, filling the large auditorium with high energy electro-pop. The crowd joined in when the band played the hit single from their self-titled 2012 EP, We Come Running. The single, featured in Fifa 2013, American Idol promos, radio, etc. had the majority of the audience singing along. Another favorite from the set was “Stars (Hold On)” with its carefully layered vocals and uplifting chorus. The band’s tight set received a nice reaction from the hometown crowd. Youngblood Hawke had done their part and bowed gracefully into the evening.
Keane took control with their opening song, “You Are Young” the first track of their latest album Strangeland, and from there didn’t let up. For the hour and half or so set, they may have stopped only a couple of times to grab water, switch keyboards, guitars… or just to introduce another song. With the sold out Pantages Theater on their feet and hands up in the air, Keane mixed new releases with fan favorites like “Everybody’s Changing”, “Somewhere Only We Know” and closed with “Crystal Ball”. An impressive set to say the least, and it’s likely that singer Tom Chaplin didn’t miss a single note the whole night.
Review By Brian Litwin
Youngblood Hawke 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.3
Reviewed by b3
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