Over a decade after taking the world by storm, 5 Seconds of Summer — everyone’s favorite Australian boy band — made their way to a packed CFG arena. An endless horde of fans flooded the streets near the arena, many dressed in their finest fishnets and summer denim attire. The world-famous 5 Seconds of Summer quickly rose in popularity in 2011, and thanks to their 2013 tour supporting One Direction, the band has been able to maintain a level of fame that only a dream could conjure.
Their newest album, EVERYONE’S A STAR! adds to the band’s lore, as they somehow manage to produce one of their highest rated albums to date, deep into their already successful careers.
At CFG Bank Arena on June 7, The Band CAMINO, who are an indie group born for arenas, opened the show. The group’s two lead vocalists brought so much character and energy to their performances thanks to catchy hooks and some earwormy melodies. Based on whoever was singing, a flood light would highlight the band member as if to emphasize to the crowd that multiple people were taking on vocal duties.
Watch the official music video for “Do What You Gotta Do” by The Band CAMINO on YouTube:
The volume from the crowd during their performance was shockingly loud in appreciation, with fans cheering emphatically after every song. The Tennessee college friends put together an undeniably enjoyable performance that the 5SOS fans could help but show love. I’d love to see these guys show a bit more movement and energy during their performance but this was their largest crowd by a lot, so it’s possible they just need a couple more goes at it to warm up!
Finally, it was time to get summer started. A clip of the group inside a limo begins to play on the big screen and the band starts to address the crowd, leading to a roar from behind the photo pit from fans. Suddenly they come out of the shadows, standing silhouetted on top of a mountain is the band. That mountain of course being a raised limo that houses Ashton Irwin’s drum kit. Michael Clifford, the lead guitarist made his way left, Calum Hood to the right, and directly in front of the limo was lead singer Luke Hemmings. The stage around them was covered in red lighting, with flashing lights scattered across the stage. At a major crescendo, confetti early into the setlist, confetti began falling and it truly felt like everyone was celebrating the perfect summer.
The show was split into several acts, accompanied by playful videos to guide the crowd through the storyline. However, the videos were hard to hear over the frantic screams of fans who seemingly were starving for the group’s return to the US. For once, even my ear plugs could not drown out the crowd noise because of how loud they were getting. It was fan service that just made a lot of sense for the show at hand.
The first three songs really were an accurate teaser of what the whole show would be. They opened with their two biggest tracks from the new album and it was received with a fervor a lot of bands hope their classic big hits get. So when their third song of the whole show is “Teeth,” it’s hard to explain just how visceral of a reaction it was met with. Anyone who walked into the venue at that moment would immediately recognize the power that song has over their fans.
Watch the official music video for “Teeth” by 5 Seconds of Summer on YouTube:
However, it must be said, the new tracks really held their own sonically. As someone who did not grow up or really encounter their music much growing up, I left the show understanding all the craze they had amassed all those years ago. They genuinely have this fun aura to them that really comes through during their live performance. Ashton’s powerful drumming, Calum’s jumping with passion, Michaels strutting around with style are enough to sell tickets. However, Luke’s crisp and emotive vocals combined with his calls for crowd engagement really made the show a can’t miss event. It’s not often you stumble upon a household name, but I’m glad I did!
Here are some photos of 5 Seconds of Summer performing live at CFG Bank Arena on June 7, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Roman Meerzaman.
Here are some photos of The Band Camino performing live at CFG Bank Arena on June 7, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Roman Meerzaman.
