They sold out The O2 in London in under three hours, and in the UK segment of their tour, six out of eight shows have no seats remaining according to NME’s website. The band’s twitter feed shows that in their current North American tour, 10 shows have already sold out. In their UK segment of the tour, six out of eight shows have no seats remaining. At the Holmes Convocation Center, all 916 general admission tickets were sold within a single minute, Randy Kelly, Program Advisor said.
On Nov. 18, at 8 p.m., The 1975 will be performing at Holmes Convocation Center, with 070 Shake will be the opening act. The event was organized by the Appalachian Popular Programming Society, and limited tickets remain at $25 for seated student tickets and $30 for seated public tickets. This show is part of their current “I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it” tour.
The 1975 consists of Matthew Healy (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Adam Hann (lead guitar), Ross MacDonald (bass), and George Daniel (drums), according to the Holmes Center’s website.
Kelly explained that securing the band’s performance was difficult, and that the council was unsure of whether to schedule the performance or not.
“I did some research and saw just how big are they, what’s their cult, where are they going, and then I brought it to the concert council,” Kelly said. “I said ‘Okay guys, I need your input. Is it big enough?’”
After negotiating, the opportunity came to move the performance from a Wednesday night to a Friday night, which Kelly said finalized their decision to secure the band’s performance.
Ross Joyner, senior electronic media and broadcasting major and vice president of public relations for APPS, explained that they had to keep the performance secret for approximately two months, and only three or four people knew it was going to happen. Once the show was announced, APPS posted an online video promoting the show that received over 100,000 views in a few days, Joyner said.
The band’s performance will include extensive equipment and lighting design elements, Michael Ream, junior public relations major and concert council chairperson, said. When the Avett Brothers came to Boone, they brought two tractor trailers of equipment, and The 1975 will be bringing four. During the performance, the band will hang a video wall, in addition to using one of the best sound systems in the country currently, Joyner said.
“Their lighting is very, very strenuous, and they don’t budge very much on lighting, which, is understandable.” Joyner said. “Their presence, I think, would be demanding on their lighting.”
The band’s sound on their latest album is more pop in comparison to their earlier album, Joyner, Ream and Kelly said. The three said that the new album has a novelty 1980s feel with catchy pop songs.
“These guys dress, look and have the stage presence of a young Mick Jagger, of the Rolling Stones,” Kelly said.
The new album includes “elements of spacy ambience (with echoes of acts from My Bloody Valentine to M83, Jacksonian R&B and arty dance pop… An enjoyable balance of desire and distraction,” according to Jason Dolan in an online article for Rolling Stone.
Matt Healy, lead singer, in an interview with Nicole Mastrogiannis from iHeartRadio, said “It has the stylistic continuity [that] would be described as having this kind of 80s cinematic vibe, but it goes from everything from like Neo Soul to full on kind of Shoegaze.”
Kelly, Joyner and Ream said that 070 Shake is a surprising choice of an opening act because her sound is more hip hop and very different from that The 1975. They encourage audience members to check out her music before the show too, they said.
One of the best advantages of the show is the ticket price, according to Kelly. Often, ticket prices are $50 to $60 for seats for The 1975, whereas pit tickets at the Holmes Convocation Center are $30.
Some audiences members are expected to camp out the night before the show in order to get the best general admission seats, and the Ream said the team is expecting long lines.
“I’m expecting to be wowed,” Joyner said. “I’m still kind of awe-struck at how this is happening at Holmes Center in Boone. I’m very excited.”
Ream said that audiences should expect to have a good time, and to have fun.
“This is their only North Carolina show,” Ream said. “This is the only college that they’ve played at in North Carolina. Don’t be that kid that misses it.”
Limited tickets remain on-sale online at the Holmes Convocation Center website and at the box office.
Story by: Mary Elizabeth Myrick, A&E Reporter