On February 10th, Phantogram finally returned to Boston for a headlining tour after five years. Though the duo opened for Kings of Leon twice at MGM Music Hall late last year, this time they came back at the helm of their very own tour to play the House of Blues across the street.   

The early crowd shuffled in from the winter cold and was warmed by an opening set from Meija, the indie electronic rock project of producer/songwriter Jamie Sierota. After working through some early technical difficulties, Meija delivered a full-throated albeit truncated performance.

Phantogram entered the stage to dramatic strobe lights and began strong with the first song “Jealousy” from their new album, Memory Of A Day, released in late 2024. The new album’s emphasis on evocative retrospection was reflected in the setlist, and the band bounced effortlessly between brand new songs and selections each of from their previous four albums. Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter powered through their set with a synergy borne of nearly eighteen years of collaboration, and the crowd bobbed along as they enjoyed the fruits of Phantogram’s labor.

The new songs from Memory Of A Day translated to live performance excellently, with particular standout moments being the back-and-forth vocals between Barthel and Carter during “Feedback Invisible,” the hard-driving “Attaway,” and a brilliant performance of “Happy Again” highlighted by shifting bursts of color from the lighting setup. That’s not to say that the older material was neglected either, with familiar favorites such as “Don’t Move” from the 2011 Nightlife EP making a setlist appearance. Staple tracks “Black Out Days” and “When I’m Small” signaled the imminent end of the show, even though the energy was still peaking. The Phantogram headline tour may have been a long time coming, but it was well worth the wait.

Check out all of Greg’s photos from the show below.