Photos & Review by Greg Wong

Seasoned indie rockers Young the Giant returned to the Leader Bank Pavilion on June 20 with their new album Victory Garden. They attracted big crowds amid cloudy weather with a very Californian lineup featuring Almost Monday and Cold War Kids.

Almost Monday started the show with a rousing opening set that was propelled by frontman Dawson Daugherty’s playful antics. Cold War Kids came up next, and by then the crowd had filled in to catch their performance as the sun began to set over the harbor. Not exactly kids anymore, Cold War Kids teased an upcoming 20th anniversary reissue of their debut album Robbers & Cowards.

Young the Giant performed their set in front of giant inflatable flowers to emphasize the night’s focus on Victory Garden. They played just over half the album and counterbalanced it with a large chunk of songs from their first self-titled album. The remainder of the setlist was a potent mix of fan favorites from the rest of their catalog. Setlist staples like “Cough Syrup,” “My Body,” and “Mind Over Matter” elicited cheers within the first few notes, and a brief cover of The Beatles’ “Blackbird” was a pleasantly surprising outro to “Bitter Fruit.” Stopping to explain the contemplative and retrospective nature of Victory Garden, vocalist Sameer Gadhia joked, “We’ve been around, you know? We’re not so Young the Giant anymore.” That in mind, Young the Giant remain superb live performers, and it’s no stretch to assert that they retain a youthful spirit.

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